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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Aspirin May Prevent Enlarged Prostate, Nightly
Bathroom Trips for Older Men
Almost half senior men age 70 to 80 suffer from
enlarged prostate
 August 30, 2006 - Frequent urination, trouble
starting urination, awakening frequently at night to urinate, weak urine
stream and an urgent need to urinate – an affliction of many older men,
is usually caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).
Mayo Clinic researchers say taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
(NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may prevent or at least delay
this condition of aging.
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"This study suggests that men's urinary health may
be improved by taking NSAIDs," says Michael Lieber, M.D., Mayo Clinic
urologist and study investigator. He and colleagues found the risk of
developing an enlarged prostate was 50 percent lower in NSAID users
compared to non-users, and risk of developing moderate to severe urinary
symptoms was 35 percent lower, he says.
Jenny St. Sauver, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic epidemiologist
and lead study investigator, says, "The association between intake of
NSAIDs and the reduction of benign prostatic hyperplasia is strengthened
by the consistency and magnitude of our findings. We would not recommend
that every man go out and take aspirin, but if they are already taking
it regularly for other reasons, our findings suggest another benefit as
well."
Benign prostatic hyperplasia increases as men age,
affecting one in four men ages 40 to 50 and almost half of 70- to
80-year-old men. The condition is most often diagnosed when men visit
their physicians due to urinary problems that are prompted by the
prostate enlargement this condition produces.
"The typical scenario with benign prostatic
hyperplasia is that men start getting up three to five times a night to
urinate, and their wives ultimately force them to go see a urologist,"
says Dr. Lieber. "Men also might come in if they have problems with
daytime urinary frequency. All this adversely affects men's quality of
life."
According to Dr. Lieber, middle-aged people
commonly take an NSAID in over-the-counter or prescription form to
prevent heart disease or reduce arthritis symptoms.
"Our study suggests that one potential unintended
consequence of so many people in our society taking NSAIDs could be an
improvement in urinary health for men," he says. "So, if a person's
primary care doctor recommends NSAIDs for some other reason, prostate
health might be an additional benefit. However, I would not recommend
taking daily NSAIDs based on this study alone, due to the potential side
effects such as stomach ulcers."
NSAID dosage did not seem to affect the reduction
of urinary symptoms. Only a small number of men in the study took
low-dose aspirin, but even those seemed to be at decreased risk of
urinary symptoms, according to Dr. St. Sauver. The type of NSAID also
seemed inconsequential to the result. The majority of men studied -- 80
percent -- were taking aspirin, but those taking nonaspirin NSAIDs also
experienced a risk reduction for benign prostatic hyperplasia and its
urinary symptoms compared to non-NSAID users.
How NSAIDs may affect benign prostatic hyperplasia
and its urinary symptoms is not known, according to Dr. Lieber.
Theories, according to Dr. St. Sauver, include: 1) NSAIDs reduce
prostate growth directly or by increasing cell death in the prostate, or
2) NSAIDs reduce inflammation in the genitourinary tract, the group of
organs, including the prostate, involved in sexual reproduction and
urination.
Several studies reporting a decreased risk of
prostate cancer for men who took NSAIDs prompted the Mayo Clinic
researchers' interest in testing the impact of NSAID intake on benign
prostate hyperplasia.
Dr. St. Sauver and colleagues studied 2,447
Caucasian men randomly selected in Olmsted County, home of Mayo Clinic.
Participants completed questionnaires biennially from 1990 to 2002,
including information on daily NSAID use. A random subgroup also
participated in a medical evaluation that included PSA
(prostate-specific antigen) level assessment and transrectal ultrasound,
in which a small probe is inserted into the rectum to obtain images of
the prostate gland. One-third of the men studied were taking daily
NSAIDs when they enrolled in the study.
The Mayo Clinic researchers indicate that the
results of their study need replication in further studies. If these
results are consistent in other populations, further studies also should
investigate the best dosage of NSAIDs to reduce the development of
benign prostatic hyperplasia, says Dr. St. Sauver.
Details of this study will be published in the
American Journal of Epidemiology.
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