The Relationship Between Metabolic Syndrome and Benign Prostate Enlargement: A Case-Control Study in a Peruvian Military Hospital.

Objective: This study aimed to determine how metabolic syndrome is related to benign prostatic enlargement in males under 60 years old in a national military hospital in Peru.

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective, quantitative, case-control study. By simple random sampling, 87 cases with benign prostatic enlargement and 174 controls were included, with a statistical power of 80%. The benign prostatic enlargement was evaluated by clinical picture and ultrasound and the metabolic syndrome was evaluated according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The statistical analysis was performed using the STATAv14 program, the chi-square statistical test was used and odds ratio was obtained, at a significance level of 5%.

Results: The mean age of the cases and controls was 55 (51-58) and 52 (46-57), respectively. By multivariate analysis, the factors related to benign prostatic enlargement were the presence of benign prostatic enlargement (adjusted odds ratio: 2.71, 95% CI: 1.27-5.80; P=.010), waist circumference ≥102 cm (adjusted odds ratio: 6.51, 95% CI: 3.09-13.71; P < .001), elevated fasting glucose (adjusted odds ratio: 1.38, 95% CI: 0.65-2.91; P=.399), high triglycerides (adjusted odds ratio: 5.29, 95%: CI 2.40-11.64; P < .001), and arterial hypertension (adjusted odds ratio: 4.67, 95% CI 2.19-9.95; P < .001). Elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was a protective factor (adjusted odds ratio: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.04-0.20; P < .001).

Conclusion: The present study showed that metabolic syndrome and its components (waist circumference, hypertension, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) are factors related to benign prostatic enlargement in patients under 60 years old in a military hospital in Peruvian population. Waist circumference as an indicator of overweight/obesity is a practical anthropometric marker of interest in public health.