Mayo Clinic Finds Aspirin, Other NSAIDs, May Prevent or Delay Enlarged
Prostate
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Mayo Clinic researchers have found that taking
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen
may prevent or delay benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlarged prostate
which can cause urinary symptoms in men as they age such as frequent
urination, trouble starting urination, awakening frequently at night to
urinate, weak urine stream and an urgent need to urinate. Details will be
published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"This study suggests that men's urinary health may be improved by taking
NSAIDs," says Michael Lieber, M.D., Mayo Clinic urologist and study
investigator. He and colleagues found the risk of developing an enlarged
prostate was 50 percent lower in NSAID users compared to non-users, and risk
of developing moderate to severe urinary symptoms was 35 percent lower, he
says.

Jenny St. Sauver, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and lead study
investigator, says, "The association between intake of NSAIDs and the
reduction of benign prostatic hyperplasia is strengthened by the consistency
and magnitude of our findings. We would not recommend that every man go out
and take aspirin, but if they are already taking it regularly for other
reasons, our findings suggest another benefit as well."

Benign prostatic hyperplasia increases as men age, affecting one in four men
ages 40 to 50 and almost half of 70- to 80-year-old men. The condition is
most often diagnosed when men visit their physicians due to urinary problems
that are prompted by the prostate enlargement this condition produces.

"The typical scenario with benign prostatic hyperplasia is that men start
getting up three to five times a night to urinate, and their wives
ultimately force them to go see a urologist," says Dr. Lieber. "Men also
might come in if they have problems with daytime urinary frequency. All this
adversely affects men's quality of life."

According to Dr. Lieber, middle-aged people commonly take an NSAID in
over-the-counter or prescription form to prevent heart disease or reduce
arthritis symptoms.

"Our study suggests that one potential unintended consequence of so many
people in our society taking NSAIDs could be an improvement in urinary
health for men," he says. "So, if a person's primary care doctor recommends
NSAIDs for some other reason, prostate health might be an additional
benefit. However, I would not recommend taking daily NSAIDs based on this
study alone, due to the potential side effects such as stomach ulcers."

NSAID dosage did not seem to affect the reduction of urinary symptoms. Only
a small number of men in the study took low-dose aspirin, but even those
seemed to be at decreased risk of urinary symptoms, according to Dr. St.
Sauver. The type of NSAID also seemed inconsequential to the result. The
majority of men studied - 80 percent - were taking aspirin, but those taking
nonaspirin NSAIDs also experienced a risk reduction for benign prostatic
hyperplasia and its urinary symptoms compared to non-NSAID users.

How NSAIDs may affect benign prostatic hyperplasia and its urinary symptoms
is not known, according to Dr. Lieber. Theories, according to Dr. St.
Sauver, include: 1) NSAIDs reduce prostate growth directly or by increasing
cell death in the prostate, or 2) NSAIDs reduce inflammation in the
genitourinary tract, the group of organs, including the prostate, involved
in sexual reproduction and urination.

Several studies reporting a decreased risk of prostate cancer for men who
took NSAIDs prompted the Mayo Clinic researchers' interest in testing the
impact of NSAID intake on benign prostate hyperplasia. Dr. St. Sauver and
colleagues studied 2,447 Caucasian men randomly selected in Olmsted County,
home of Mayo Clinic. Participants completed questionnaires biennially from
1990 to 2002, including information on daily NSAID use. A random subgroup
also participated in a medical evaluation that included PSA
(prostate-specific antigen) level assessment and transrectal ultrasound, in
which a small probe is inserted into the rectum to obtain images of the
prostate gland. One-third of the men studied were taking daily NSAIDs when
they enrolled in the study.

The Mayo Clinic researchers indicate that the results of their study need
replication in further studies. If these results are consistent in other
populations, further studies also should investigate the best dosage of
NSAIDs to reduce the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia, says Dr.
St. Sauver.

###

Mayo Clinic is now using Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway (DMG) for video
news release distribution to streamline our services and provide content
that is easily accessible as needed. On the DMG main page, look for the Mayo
Clinic branded page in the left navbar, or click on the VNF Master Locator
and search for mayoclinic0057. If you have questions or problems in locating
the story, contact Pathfire Customer Support at 888-345-0489 or e-mail
support@pathfire.com. If you do not have access to Pathfire's DMG, and would
like access to Mayo Clinic's video resources by satellite or other means,
please call 507-538-0492 or e-mail: groenke.joyce@mayo.edu.

###

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to
www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your
health stories.

Contact Information
For more information, contact:

Lisa Lucier
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
newsbureau@mayo.edu

Related Information
Related Diseases
 a.. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Patient & Visitor Guide
Learn more about becoming a patient at Mayo Clinic in the Patient & Visitor
Guide.

 a.. Print
 b.. E-mail Page
 c.. Adjust type size:
 d.. Font size down
 e.. Font size up