Benign prostatic hyperplasia – awareness of the general public and quality of preventive care

Summary

Introduction:
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate gland and a common disease among elderly men. The disease typically manifests with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and, due to the presenting symptoms, it significantly decreases the patient´s quality of life. In the vast majority of cases the symptoms can be reduced or minimized by treatment. We focused on the awareness of the disease itself in the general male population and we also asked the respondents about their own experience with diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia in the general practitioner´s office.

Material and methods:
A semi-standardised questionnaire drawing on the standardised IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) questionnaire was used to collect empirical data; the data were then evaluated using descriptive statistics.

Results:
The study points to underdiagnosis during standard preventive check-ups in the general practitioner’s office in the sample of respondents examined. The practical benefits of our study have included the fact that using the standardised IPSS questionnaire the respondents were able to diagnose themselves, taking notice of the early symptoms of BPH, which made them seek specialist advice.

Conclusions:
Symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia significantly decreases the quality of life. Prevention and public as well as professional awareness are very important. It is usually the general practitioner who should be the first to refer the patient for a specialist urological examination upon clinical suspicion of the disease.

Key words:
BPH – IPSS questionnaire – general practitioner – underdiagnosis