Health-related behaviours and family support and clinical symptoms of BPH: a pilot study from China

摘要

The aim of the current study was to explore the effect of health-related behaviours and the support of family members on the clinical symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients, and to provide some clues for the symptoms control of BPH. The data were collected in three hospitals in Hubei Province, China, from June to September 2011. The health-related behaviours included cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, tea and coffee consumption, and drinking water regularly, and the support of family members included the support from spouse, siblings, and offspring in the previous year. The x2 test and multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess their effects on the International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS). With regard to health-related behaviours, only coffee consumption (OR = 0-33, 95% Cl: 0-11-0-96) and drinking water regularly (OR = 044, 95% Cl: 0-24-0-81) had significant effects on the IPSS. Although the /2 test suggested that support from offspring of patients with BPH was statistically significant, after adjusting for potential confounding variables the association was not statistically significant. Although there were some limitations, the current study provides preliminary clues and evidences for the role of coffee intake and regularly drinking water played in the Chinese men with BPH. More in-depth research is needed to enhance the role of health-related behaviours and social factors in the clinical practice of BPH.