The aim of the study was to evaluate patients attitudes with benign prostatic hyperplasia at the risk of progression during a 12-month period of observation.
A total of 426 patients from 45 outpatients centers were included and prospectively followed. Inclusion criteria were: age > 50 years, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) > 8, prostate volume > 30 cm3 (transabdominal ultrasound) and PSA > 1.5 to < 10 ng/ml.
In all, 28.6 % patients were naive, 62.9 % used monotherapy (alpha-blocker), and 8.5 % combined treatment (alpha-blocker/5alpha-reductase inhibitor/dutasteride). The most bothersome symptoms were the weak urine stream (60.8 %) and nocturia (59.2 %). Patients expectations from the treatment were stabilization of the disease and reducing the risk of surgery rather than rapid resolution of symptoms. Despite the presence of symptoms, 2.3 % patients claimed that benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms had no impact on their quality of life (QoL), in 48.1 % only little impact on QoL, and 47.9 % patients percepted their symptoms as severe. Out of 71.4 % patients treated previously, 26.5 % patients were indecisive about the satisfaction of present treatment. Visual analog score was percepted more optimistically rather than the IPSS. Pearsonʼs correlation r = 0.68 at the beginning and r = 0.83 at the end of the study.
Prostate and Expectations of Treatment Epidemiology Research study highlights and reflects on patients behavior and self-perception, patients self-perception of the disease and therapeutic priorities during the 1 year of observation.
