Lifestyle and Risk of Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome in a Cohort of United States Male Health Professionals

Abstract

Purpose Although chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a prevalent urological disorder among men of all ages, its etiology remains unknown. Only a few previous studies have examined associations between lifestyle factors and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, of which most were limited by the cross-sectional study design and lack of control for possible confounders. To address these limitations we performed a cohort study of major lifestyle factors (obesity, smoking and hypertension) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome risk in the HPFS (Health Professionals Follow-up Study), a large ongoing cohort of United States based male health professionals. Materials and Methods The HPFS includes 51,529 men who were 40 to 75 years old at baseline in 1986. At enrollment and every 2 years thereafter participants have completed questionnaires on lifestyle and health conditions. In 2008 participants completed an additional set of questions on recent chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome pain symptoms modified from the NIH (National Institutes of Health)-CPSI (Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index) as well as questions on approximate date of symptom onset. The 653 participants with NIH-CPSI pain scores 8 or greater who first experienced symptoms after 1986 were considered incident chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome cases and the 19,138 who completed chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome questions but did not report chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome related pain were considered noncases. Results No associations were observed for baseline body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, cigarette smoking and hypertension with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome risk (each OR ≤1.34). Conclusions In this large cohort study none of the lifestyle factors examined was associated with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome risk. As the etiology of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome remains unknown, additional prospective studies are needed to elucidate modifiable risk factors for this common condition.

WITHDRAWN: Efficacy of thermobalancing therapy for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, confirmed by clinical study, may suggest etiology and pathophysiology of this disease

“…Uncertainness in the etiology of CP/CPPS led to investigation of some diet and lifestyle factors that were thought to correlate with this problem [25]. However, no associations were observed between major lifestyle factors (obesity, smoking, and hypertension) and CP/CPPS [26].…”

New Independent Thermobalancing Treatment with Therapeutic Device for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

“…Zhang with colleagues investigated associations between lifestyle factors and CP/CPPS on a large number of men. However, no associations were observed between major lifestyle factors (obesity, smoking, and hypertension) and CP/CPPS (8). There is poor evidence supporting the efficacy of physical treatment options for CP/CPPS that include repetitive prostate massage or methods to apply energy to the prostate, so they remain controversial (33).…”

“…Eating habits such as "frequency of eating fast food" may lead to significant negative impact on the symptoms of CP/CPPS (7). However, there is no association has been found between major lifestyle factors (obesity, smoking and hypertension) and CP/CPPS disease risk (8).…”

Precision Medicine: What Challenges are We Facing?

“…For instance, the well-known Framingham Heart Study that was initiated in 1948 has made substantial contributions to understanding cardiovascular and metabolic diseases [7]. The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) that was established in 1976 [8] has investigated into the risk factors for major chronic diseases in women, such as cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, whereas another cohort study called the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) [9] is all-male study complement to the all-female study NHS. These cohorts help uncover links between lifestyles and cancer, heart disease, as well as other vascular diseases.…”