Prevalence, diagnosis, characterization, and treatment of prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, and epididymitis in outpatient urological practice: the Canadian PIE Study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence, diagnostic patterns, and management of prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, and epididymitis (PIE) in Canadian urology outpatient practice.

METHODS: Representative urologists were randomly selected from the Canadian and Quebec Urological Associations. Each patient identified with a PIE diagnosis during a typical 2-consecutive-week period during April 2004 to July 2004 was requested to complete a corresponding Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (CPSI), O'Leary-Sant Symptom Index (OSSI), or a Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI). Each day the participant urologist completed an outpatient log and a detailed programmed chart review to transcribe demographics, investigations, and treatments associated with each PIE patient.

RESULTS: Sixty-five urologists were invited to participate. Fifty-seven (88%) agreed, and 48 (74%) completed the audit. Of the 8712 patients seen in outpatient practice (average 182 per urologist), 2675 were female and 6037 male. Prostatitis was identified in 2.7% of the men (n = 166; mean age 50 years; mean duration 3.1 years; mean CPSI score 19.7), interstitial cystitis in 2.8% of patients (n = 242; 211 women [7.9%], 26 men [0.4%]; mean age 50.2 years, mean duration 4.5 years, mean OSSI score 11.8), and epididymitis in 0.9% of men (n = 57; mean age 41.1 years, mean duration 2.5 years, mean CESI score 15.5). There was wide variance in investigations and treatments.

CONCLUSIONS: This prospective audit indicates that prostatitis might not be as common as frequently believed and that interstitial cystitis is more common, and it represents the first estimate of the prevalence of epididymitis in urologic practice. The wide variance in investigations and treatments confirms the need for practice management guidelines.