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Autoantibodies to prostate specific antigen in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia
The Journal of Urology
|September 1, 1995
Abstract
Purpose:
We tested for a possible autoimmune process in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Materials And Methods:
Titers of IgG antibodies to prostate specific antigen (PSA) were measured in the sera of 85 BPH patients, 20 controls and 17 chronic prostatitis patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
The mean anti-PSA titers in the BPH group were significantly higher than in the controls and prostatitis group (p < 0.0005). Accordingly, 59% of BPH patients could be defined as responders to PSA compared to none among the controls (p < 0.0005).
Conclusions:
Circulating autoantibodies to PSA were shown to exist in the sera of BPH patients. This observation suggests that autoimmune processes may have a role in BPH.