Objectives: This article’s purpose is to review and discuss the relationship between urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and renal damage, bearing in mind the epidemiology and pathophysiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and potential association.
Methods: Concerning the increasing number of elderly patients in urology clinics and the incidence of LUTS, the relationship between renal damage and LUTS should be an important issue. The authors searched literature in PubMed in order to correctly identify the pathophysiology and clinical correlation connecting these 2 entities.
Results: BPH is a common disease in adult men and its incidence is age related. Clinical BHP usually refers to the palpable enlargement of the prostate, which can be detected by physical or imaging examination, or by the presence of urinary symptoms loosely defined as LUTS. Despite the many possible causes of obstructive kidney disease, in studies of elderly patients with acute renal failure, the most common cause among all patients was BPH. Considering the high prevalence of BPH in older men with chronic kidney disease (CKD) it is invaluable to take into consideration the relationship between these 2 clinical entities.
Conclusion: Clinical and scientific findings show a worrisome and undiagnosed number of silent urinary obstruction symptoms that can lead to renal damage. This paper emphasizes that renal damage secondary to BPH, clinically manifested by lower urinary tract symptoms, is a preventable disease and must be under the care of physicians.
KEYWORDS: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), chronic kidney disease (CKD), lower tract urinary symptoms (LUTS), renal disease
CORRESPONDENCE: Ricardo Leao, MD, Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospital Center, Quinta dos Vales, Sao Martinho do Bispo, Coimbra, Portugal ( )
CITATION: UroToday Int J. 2012 December;5(6):art 56.