Frequency and Trends of Prostatic Diseases in a Subset of Karachi Population: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Prostatic diseases are a leading cause of frequent urinary complaints in elderly males. The most common diseases include prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer. This study aimed to determine the frequency of the prostatic diseases, their trend over the years, and the association of age and diagnosis.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted in Basic Medical Sciences Institute (BMSI) at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. Data was collected from the histopathological files and all the cases diagnosed from 2014 to 2018 were included. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS with 95% confidence interval and p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. The Chi-square test was applied to find the association with age and year of diagnosis. 

Results: Total 163 prostate cases were documented from 2014 to 2018, out of which 98 (60.1%) were of benign prostatic hyperplasia, which was most commonly diagnosed in men aged, 61-70. Prostatic adenocarcinomas having Gleason scores 8-10 were frequent and commonly seen in men aged 51-60 years. An increasing trend (p-value=0.053) was observed in the diagnosis of these prostatic diseases within these five years.

Conclusion: Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most frequently (p-value=0.140) diagnosed prostatic disease in men, followed by adenocarcinoma and prostatitis. Advanced stage prostatic adenocarcinoma was diagnosed more frequently 17(10.4%) and at an earlier age. There is an increase in the number (p-value=0.053) of cases of prostatic diseases diagnosed each year. National-level studies and health policies are needed to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Prostate; Prevalence; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Prostatic Cancer; Gleason Score; Prostatitis.