THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA AND OBSERVATIONS ON CONCOMITANT HYPERTENSION

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and hypertension are highly prevalent, age-related disorders in men which place a considerable burden on healthcare resources worldwide. Evidence of pathological BPH can be found in over 80% of autopsies conducted in men over 70 years of age; around 40% of men aged 50-64 years have symptoms compatible with the disease. Population studies suggest that over 50% of people aged 65-74 years may be hypertensive, and that cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide. The continued ageing of the population means that more people are living to older ages; life expectancy for men is likely to exceed 80 years by the end of this century in some developed countries. While BPH and hypertension are apparently diverse disease processes, they have some features in common (e.g. underlying aetiology of the sympathetic nervous system). However, little else is known about any associations between the two or the frequency of concomitant disease. There are clearly opportunities for further epidemiologic studies and the development of preventive strategies aimed at the early detection and treatment of concomitant BPH and hypertension.