Effect of long-term sitting on serum prostate-specific antigen levels.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term sitting on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.

Method: The serum PSA levels of 50 bus drivers under the age of 45 (mean 37.7) years who worked at least 8 h a day for more than 3 weeks were compared with those of 50 healthy surgeons in similar age groups (mean 37.7 years) who spent most of their working time standing.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the mean PSA level of the study group (1.211 +/- 0.96 ng/ml) and that of the control group (1.214 +/- 0.74 ng/ml; p > 0.05). The PSA levels returned to normal after a 5-day resting period in cases who had higher values than the anticipated 2.5 ng/ml for this age group at the initial determination.

Conclusions: These results suggest that there is no relationship between long-term sitting and serum PSA levels. A second PSA determination after a 5-day resting period may be helpful in cases with higher than normal initial values.