Demographic and comorbidity profile of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia in a real-life clinical setting: Are 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor consumers different?

Purpose: We aimed to describe, in a daily clinical practice setting, the demographic and comorbidity profile of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH-LUTS), to compare the characteristics of patients receiving 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) with those not receiving them and to investigate predictors of 5-ARI prescription. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study using data retrieved from a general practitioners database. Male patients with diagnosis of BPH-LUTS were included. The following demographic and clinical data were available and extracted: age, comorbidities, BPH-LUTS medical therapy, drugs for comorbidities. A subgroup analysis was performed according to the use of 5-ARIs. Factors associated with 5-ARI prescription were assessed with uni- and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 7,103 patients were identified. Most patients (71.7 %) were aged ≥65 years. Hypertension was present in 64.9 % of patients; it was the most prevalent comorbidity followed by diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, coronary artery disease and other dyslipidemias. Overall, 38.22 % of patients were treated with 5-ARIs. Mean age of patients taking 5-ARIs was significantly higher. The prevalence of hypertension and the use of antihypertensive drugs were significantly higher among patients receiving 5-ARIs. Older age was an independent predictor of 5-ARI prescription. Conclusions: In a daily clinical practice setting, patients with BPH-LUTS receiving 5-ARIs are significantly older and have significantly higher prevalence of hypertension if compared with patients with BPH-LUTS not receiving 5-ARIs. Older age is an independent predictor of 5-ARI prescription.