Objectives: Chronic prostatitis is a debilitating disease of the prostate gland that is characterized by chronic pelvic pain. Unlike the developed world, the prevalence of chronic prostatitis and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) of the sufferer is not known in Nigeria. This work was carried out to fill this vacuum.
Methods: A random cross-sectional survey of apparently normal men of ages 20-70 years, living in Nsukka, a university town in South-eastern Nigeria, using the National Institute of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) was carried out. The self reported pain and QOL scores were used to identify subjects with chronic prostatitis symptoms and the subjects' QOL status, respectively.
Results: Of the 1507 men studied, 12.21% had symptoms suggestive of chronic prostatitis. Subjects with chronic prostatitis symptoms (CPS) (mean relative age 40.98 +/- 12.51 years) had higher mean pain and voiding scores (5.65 +/- 1.99 and 2.61 +/- 2.23, respectively) compared with subjects without CPS (0.44 +/- 0.73 and 1.29 +/- 1.70 for pain and voiding scores, respectively; mean relative age 41.99 +/- 12.99 years). A total of 39.62% of the population had pain in at least one location, while 22.69% of the population had impaired QOL.
Conclusion: Chronic prostatitis symptoms are as common in Nigeria as they are in the developed world, and so are their effects on the QOL of the sufferer.