Prostatitis --The results of an auto-immune screen in patients with types IIIa and IIIb prostatitis

Third International Chronic Prostatitis Network

The results of an auto-immune screen in patients with types IIIa and IIIb prostatitis

R. Batstone and A. Doble
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, England

MATERIALS & METHODS

This is a prospective, descriptive, controlled study of an auto-immune screen measuring: anti-nuclear anti-bodies (ANA); rheumatoid factor (RhF); anti-thyroid antibody (ATA); as well as inflammatory markers ESR and CRP in patients with types IIIa and IIIb prostatitis. This is the first report of the incidence of these auto-antibodies in types IIIa and IIIb prostatitis, as far as we are aware. From March 2000 to September 2000, 23 patients with types IIIa and IIIb prostatitis were assessed in our Chronic Pelvic Pain clinic. Their age, duration of symptoms, CPSI score, auto-immune screen and Stamey localisation results were recorded. 17 age matched male controls either volunteers n=7 or urology clinic patients (patients with a single stone episode and currently stone free) n=10 with no history of auto-immune disorders completed a CPSI and had blood taken for the auto-immune screen. A power calculation has been performed by Dr. B. Toms (Institute of Public Medicine, Cambridge University) and 26 patients are required for the study to have an 80% power for detecting a 40% difference in the overall incidence of abnormalities between the two groups. The final statistical analysis is by Dr. B. Toms.

CONCLUSIONS
From this study we conclude that there is no associa-tion between these auto-antibodies and types IIIa or IIIb prostatitis.The limitations of the study are the small number of type IIIa patients included. This study is also insufficiently powered to detect a smaller difference than 40% in abnormalities in these patients, compared with controls. It is also possible that the choice of volunteers altered the incidence of abnor-malities in the control group.

RESULTS

	Patients n=23			Volunteers n=17
	(IIIa n=3, IIIb n=20)
	Mean	S.D.	Range	Mean	S.D.	Range	p Value

Age	48.3	12.3	21-74	41.4	13.7	22-68	p=0.071	(2 sample T test)
Duration of symptoms/mo	75	93	5-300		NA
NIH CPSI total score	24	8	11-42	4	5	0-18	p<0.0001	(Mann Whitney U-test)
ANA positive	n=4			n=2	p=1
RhF positive	n=1			n=1	p=1
ATA positive	n=1			n=1	p=1
CRP elevated	n=0			n=0	p=1			(All fisher exact test)
ESR elevated	n=4			n=4	p=0.69
Men w/1 abnormality	n=9				n=6 p=1
Men w/2 abnormalities	n=1				n=2	p=0.556

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