NATURAL-HISTORY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA - RELATIONSHIP AMONG UROLOGIC MEASURES

Numerically weak correlations can stem from research studies for numer ous reasons, some of which have little to do with lack of true physiol ogic relationships. Previous investigators have reported relatively we ak correlations among urologic measures, mostly based on patients refe rred to urologic clinics. Such samples of patients may be prone to sel f-selection or referral bias. Men seeking medical care for urinary sym ptoms are more likely to have more severe symptoms, low urinary flow r ates, and prostatic enlargement, and hence clinic-based samples may re flect a narrow spectrum in urologic measures, resulting in attenuated correlation coefficients. Measurement error in the technique or equipm ent, lack of specificity, and within-patient variability can also atte nuate correlations. Thus, the characteristics of the sample upon which correlations are calculated must be considered in the interpretation of the magnitude of relationships among measurements. Possibly due to the broader spectrum, community-based studies have recently found mode st but somewhat stronger relationships among urologic measures than pr eviously documented. Such correlations are comparable to those found i n other disease areas. In addition, such studies have documented that symptoms, urinary flow rate, and prostatic enlargement are predictive of long-term complications, such as acute urinary retention, with pred ictive relationships comparable to those found in other disease areas. Thus, the relationships among and predictive ability of urologic meas ures may be stronger than currently appreciated. (C) 1998, Elsevier Sc ience Inc. All rights reserved.