Benign prostatic hyperplasia and cardiovascular risk: a prospective study among Chinese men.

Purpose: To examine the prospective association of BPH with subsequent risk of CVD, including heart disease and stroke.

Methods: We used data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 5242 Chinese men aged 45 years or older. During a follow-up of 7 years, we identified 613 cases of non-fatal CVD, including 417 heart diseases and 254 strokes. Cox proportional hazards models yielded hazard ratios (HRs) relating BPH to CVD, heart disease, and stroke incidence.

Results: Overall, 8.1% of men reported a history of BPH diagnosed by physicians at baseline. As compared with men without a history of BPH, those reporting a history of BPH had an increased risk of developing CVD (multivariable-adjusted HR = 1.43 [1.12, 1.83], heart disease (1.35 [1.00, 1.83]), and stroke (1.50 [1.03, 2.19]). The subgroup analysis by age at baseline (< 60 vs. ≥ 60 years) showed that the associations appeared to be evident among men < 60 years, particularly for CVD (1.82 [1.24, 2.69]) and heart disease (1.72 [1.06, 2.79]). However, interaction tests suggested the associations were not significantly modified by age (P for interaction > 0.10 for all outcomes).

Conclusion: In Chinese men, BPH was associated with higher risks of CVD, heart disease and stroke, particularly among men aged < 60 years.