Usefulness of the American urological association's benign prostate hyperplasia symptom index in Nigeria: Validation using biochemical markers

Abstract

Benign prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related neoplastic condition of the prostate gland that is characterised by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), in the clinical setting. A variety of factors, especially weather conditions and diet, impart on the nature of the manifestations of LUTS experienced by sufferers, suggesting a possible difference in the clinical presentation of BPH across cultures. One of the tools used in the screening and diagnosis of BPH is the American Urological Association’s (AUA’s) symptom index. However, the validity of this instrument in Nigeria has not been tested. This work used two biochemical markers of prostate pathologies – prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) – to test the validity of the AUA symptom index in Nigeria. Our results show a positive correlation between PAP and the AUA symptom index (r = +0.275, p <0.01). The AUA symptom index is thus recommended for screening and diagnostic purposes in Nigeria.