Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia among Patients with Inguinal Hernia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Benign prostatic hyperplasia refers to the non-cancerous enlargement of the smooth muscle and epithelial cells within the prostatic gland transition zone in aging males, leading to the enlargement of the gland. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is common in the aging male population. The coexistence of inguinal hernia and lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia is common. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia among patients with inguinal hernia in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among patients with inguinal hernia between 14 April 2023 to 13 April 2024 in a tertiary care centre after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board. Male patients aged >50 years with a clinical diagnosis of inguinal hernia were included in the study. Patients who had any form of surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the past, diagnosed cases of bladder outlet obstruction due to causes other than benign prostatic hyperplasia, diagnosed cases of prostate carcinoma, patients with femoral or other abdominal wall hernia, and recurrent hernia were excluded from the study. Convenience sampling technique was used. Point estimate and 95% confidence interval were calculated for binary data. Results: Among 185 patients with inguinal hernia, 61 (32.97%) (26.20-39.75, 95% Confidence Interval) had benign prostatic hyperplasia. Among total inguinal hernia patients, 8 (4.32%) patients were asymptomatic, 116 (62.70%) were mildly symptomatic, 42 (22.70%) were moderately symptomatic, and 19 (10.3%) were severely symptomatic. In this study, 99 (53.5%) had a prostate volume of more than 20 cm3 and 86 (46.5%) had a prostate volume of less than 20 cm3. Conclusions: The study concluded a similar prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia as per the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire among patients with inguinal hernia, as in other studies, and higher if defined as per radiological volume measurement.