The impact of the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life, a scoping literature review aided by AI

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) refers to a non-cancerous condition characterized by hyperplastic changes in stromal and epithelial cells. BPH can cause lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that decrease quality of life (QoL). The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is a validated tool used to assess and guide the management of LUTS. This scoping review evaluated the difference in IPSS and QoL in patients with BPH and LUTS before and after medical or interventional treatment. A PubMed search was conducted using: (Benign prostatic hyperplasia OR lower urinary tract symptoms) AND (erectile dysfunction OR depression OR disability-adjusted life year OR quality of life), which yielded 7143 results over 10 years. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI), 31 articles were included in the study. Randomized control trials, prospective clinical trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and meta-analyses were included. IPSS and IPSS-QoL measurements before and after intervention were required. Data was assessed in three categories "overall", "medical" and "interventional". Mean age, IPSS and QoL scores before and after intervention were calculated, as well as the Pearson correlation between baseline IPSS and QoL. Thirteen articles were categorized as medical while 18 were categorized as interventional. Pearson correlation between IPSS and QoL for overall, medical and interventional articles were r = 0.72, 0.79 and 0.36, respectively. There was an improvement in the QoL score by 1.28 points, 1.40 points, 2.49 points for overall, medical, and interventional groups, respectively. This study quantified the improvement in QoL after medical and interventional treatment of BPH. There is a strong correlation between the severity of BPH symptoms and the reduction of QoL. Improvement of BPH symptoms with medical and surgical treatments is associated with significant improvement in QoL.