People at risk

• Men aged 50 and over;
• Family history: men with a close relative who suffered from benign prostatic hyperplasia would be at greater risk;
• Ethnic origins. This disease is rare in Asians, and more common in Caucasians and Blacks.

Risk factors

Certain factors are suspected to increase the risk ofbenign prostatic hyperplasia, but none have yet been officially established.

• Scientific evidence thatphysical inactivity contributes to benign prostatic hyperplasia accumulate1-5 . The researchers observed that physically active men were less often affected;
• Some experts believe obesity and diabetes are other risk factors3, just as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and vascular-damaging diet could be1,3. But these are still hypotheses;
• It is possible that mature men who choose to follow a hormone treatment with testosterone to counter their symptoms of andropause (decreased sexual appetite, less vigorous erections, lack of energy, etc.) are at increased risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia, in the long term6. The use of this type of hormone is still too recent to know if this is actually happening.