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Statins may slow benign enlargement of prostate

By Alisdair Stirling

Statins may be linked to a delay in the development of benign prostate enlargement, new research suggests.

A retrospective cohort study by US researchers looked at information obtained by questionnaire, home visits and medical records of 2,447 men aged between 40 and 79 years in 1990 who had no previous history of prostatectomy, prostate cancer or other urological conditions.

Among 773 men with moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms at the start of the study, statin use lowered the risk of new onset of BPE symptoms by 61% compared to men who had never used statins. The longest duration of statin use was associated with the lowest risk of developing each outcome.

Study lead Dr Jennifer St Sauver, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Minnesota, said: ‘If the associations we observed are real, statin use could have an important public health impact owing to the prevalence of these urological conditions, their impact on quality of life and frequent use of statins in the community.'

BJU International, published online September 26, 2010

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