International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | January 2024 | Vol 12 | Issue 1 Page 37 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Ongong’a RO et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2024 Jan;12(1):37-43 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Assessment of electrolyte imbalance among benign prostate hyperplasia patients in Western Kenya Royronald O. Ongong’a 1 *, Nelson Menza 1 , Rodgers N. Demba 2 INTRODUCTION Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the urological diseases affecting aged men above the fourth decade globally. The condition is non-malignant and results in the enlargement of the prostate glands leading to the manifestation of the lower urinary tract symptoms which include, incomplete emptying of the bladder, intermittent urination, stopping urination while beginning. In addition, this symptom further affects the quality of life of an individual. 1,2 Globally it is estimated that around 90 million people have symptoms related to BPH making it one of the major public health problems among the elderly thus increasing the healthcare cost. 3,4 In Africa, 50% of male aged 65 years and above have also demonstrated symptoms related to BPH and at some point, in time experienced lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The prevalence of BPH in men aged 60 years and above have been recorded to be about 56% in Kenyan population. 5,6 The aetiopathogenesis of BPH is surmised to be regulated by several biological processes such as hormonal imbalance tissue degeneration due to 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Maseno University, Nyanza, Kenya Received: 18 October 2023 Revised: 14 November 2023 Accepted: 06 December 2023 *Correspondence: Dr. Royronald O. Ongong’a, E-mail: rongonga@yahoo.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) results in the enlargement of the gland and ultimately obstructs the bladder and the kidney. The effect on the kidney results in the dysregulation of the electrolyte causing electrolyte imbalance. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital aimed at assessing the levels and severity of electrolyte imbalance among BPH patients. The blood samples were analyzed for electrolytes and PSA levels for both patients and control group. An Independent t-test was used to compare the means of the BPH patients and healthy control subjects. Chi-square was used to determine the association between the electrolyte imbalance and the PSA levels of the BPH patients. Results: The mean age of the BPH patients and the healthy individuals was 65.47±12.55 and 64.52±12.19 years respectively. Hyponatremia, and hypernatremia were observed in 26.08% (n=104) and 4.22% (n=8) of the BPH patients respectively. There was a statistical significance positive correlation between potassium (K) and sodium (Na) concentrations (r=0.350, p<0.01), as well as a notable positive association between chloride (Cl) and magnesium (Mg) levels (r=0.288, p<0.01). PSA biomarker levels varied among the patients. There was a statistical significance (<0.0001*) difference in PSA levels between the BPH patients and the control group. Conclusions: With high prevalence of electrolyte imbalance among BPH patients there is a need to monitor the electrolytes and PSA levels in the management of BPH aiming at restoration of kidney function. Keywords: Benign prostate hyperplasia, Imbalance, Kidneys, PSA, Serum electrolyte DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20233974