National prevalence of urogenital pain and prostatitis‐like symptoms in Australian men using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index

Study Type – Prognosis (cohort) Level of Evidence 2a OBJECTIVE To provide a summary, using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (NIH‐CPSI), of the prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in a population‐based sample of Australian men. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Participants were Australian men aged 16–64 years recruited as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Health and Relationships: a nationally representative study. In all, 1346 men completed an extensive questionnaire which included the NIH‐CPSI. The index identifies six types of urogenital pain, the presence of urinary problems, and effects on quality of life. Men who reported perineal and/or ejaculatory pain or discomfort and a total NIH‐CPSI pain score of ≥4 were considered as having prostatitis‐like symptoms. RESULTS Based on a weighted population of 1373 men, some form of urogenital pain was reported by 105 (7.6%) men; with 2.8% of men reporting more than one type of urogenital pain. The mean (range) NIH‐CPSI pain score for men reporting pain was 6.2 (5.6–6.8); for all men the mean score was 0.5 (0.4–0.6). About 20% of men (284) were considered to have urinary problems. The mean urinary symptom score for all men was 0.9 (0.9–1.0). The mean total NIH‐CPSI score for men reporting pain was 13.3 (12.0–14.7) and for all men it was 2.6 (2.3–2.8). The estimated prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms was ≈2%. CONCLUSIONS Using the NIH‐CPSI the estimated prevalence for urogenital pain in Australian men is 8%; an estimated 3% of men experience pain from more than one urogenital location. The estimated prevalence of prostatitis‐like symptoms in Australian men is 2%. Almost a third of Australian men experiencing urogenital pain or prostatitis‐like symptoms would be less than satisfied if this was to be ongoing for the rest of their life.