SERUM CREATININE MEASUREMENTS IN MEN WITH LOWER URINARY-TRACT SYMPTOMS SECONDARY TO BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

Objectives. To determine the usefulness of routine serum creatinine me asurements in men with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benig n prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and to correlate these findings with pat ient age, symptom severity, and comorbid diseases. Methods. We analyze d serum creatinine measurements in 246 consecutive men presenting for evaluation of voiding symptoms and BPH. Multiple logistic regression a nalysis was used to determine whether the International Prostate Sympt om Score (IPSS), quality-of-life measure from the IPSS, patient age, o r a history of diabetes mellitus or hypertension predicted abnormal cr eatinine levels. Results. An elevated serum creatinine level was noted in 11% (26 of 245) of evaluable patients. Only a history of diabetes or hypertension predicted the presence of renal insufficiency. Among m en with no history of comorbid disease, increasing age was significant ly associated with the finding of an abnormal creatinine. Neither the overall symptom score nor the quality-of-life measure was significantl y associated with the likelihood of detectable renal dysfunction.Concl usions. Medical renal disease secondary to diabetes or hypertension ap pears to be the most likely cause of elevated serum creatinine measure ments in men with BPH and renal insufficiency. We were unable to ident ify subgroups of patients in whom the risk of renal dysfunction is suf ficiently low to avoid routine serum creatinine measurements. (C) 1997 , Elsevier Science Inc.