Patterns of Care for Newly Diagnosed Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the United States
July 2016
in “
The Journal of urology/The journal of urology
”
TLDR Most care for benign prostatic hyperplasia follows guidelines, but 5-α reductase inhibitors are often used incorrectly.
The study examined diagnostic tests and treatment patterns for newly diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) using data from 38,252 men in the United States. The most common diagnostic tests included serum creatinine (92%), serum prostate-specific antigen (76%), and urinalysis (52%). Invasive testing was performed in less than 20% of patients. Treatment approaches included watchful waiting (40%), pharmacological therapy (59.4%), and surgery (2.2%), with α-blockers prescribed to 50.7% of men. Men over 65 and those with higher prostate-specific antigen levels were less likely to undergo watchful waiting. The study concluded that while most clinical care aligned with guidelines, 5-α reductase inhibitor therapy was underutilized in men with large prostates and overutilized in men with small prostates.
