Associations Between Sex Hormones and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Middle-aged Men

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum sex hormone levels and lower urinary tract symptoms in men.
Material and Method: Forty-nine men with lower urinary tract symptoms aged 25-45 years (mean: 37.9±2.0 years) and 25 healthy men aged 25-45 years (mean: 35.9±2.0 years) as controls participated in this study. Estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), insulin-like growth factor -1 (IGF1), and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured using commercially available assay kits. All participants were asked to complete the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire.
Results: Demographic data were similar between patients and controls. Among the sex steroids studied, only FSH and E2 showed a statistically significant association with lower urinary tract symptoms (p<0.05). Besides, neither IGF1 nor IGFBP3 were associated with lower urinary tract symptoms.
Discussion: Excess E2 may play an important role in the occurrence of lower urinary tract symptoms. E2 receptors located in the prostate tissue may take part in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia.