Relationship between Body Mass Index and Prostate Specific Antigen among Community Men in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: The prevalence of prostate cancer is increasing at a high rate in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The role of androgens, age and genetics are established worldwide. Among others, obesity, a consequence of Improvement in quality of life in the oil rich region, which has also been implicated in several conditions like diabetes, hypertension, depression, osteoarthritis and several other malignancies, could be a risk factor. Our aim in this study is to establish a relationship between BMI, an index of obesity and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), a marker for prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We carried out a community-based observational study in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The demographic, anthropometric and medical history of men, forty years and above who have lived in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria for over 15 years and who had no prior history of prostate cancer was taken. The BMI and the quantitative PSA of the participants were determined. The corelation of BMI and PSA was established. Results: A total of 583 respondents participated in the study. Mean age was 60.53 ±7.82. Mean BMI was 24.49 ±3.75. 18% of respondents were underweight, 53.3% were of normal weight, 35.3% were overweight and 7% were obese. The mean PSA was 4.12ng/ml, 84.5% had normal PSA, 15.5% had PSA greater than 4. There was a weak negative correlation between BMI and serum PSA with Pearson correlation of -0.010. Conclusion: This study shows a negative correlation between BMI and prostate cancer. In view of this inverse relationship between PSA and BMI it may be necessary to reduce the threshold for further evaluations like prostate biopsies in patients with high BMI. Additionally more specific diagnostic tools like ultrasound guidance during prostate biopsy may be helpful.