Methods. We reviewed the literature, developed a symptom index, and evaluated the clinical utility of this tool in 50 patients with chronic prostatitis and 75 control patients (25 with benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH] and 50 with sexual dysfunction).

Results. Patients with prostatitis reported more perineal, lower abdominal, testicular, penile, and ejaculatory pain than patients with BPH (P<0.05 for each symptom) or sexual dysfunction (P<0.01 for each symptom). Ejaculatory pain was also more common among men with prostatitis than among men with BPH (P=0.07) or among men with sexual dysfunction (P<0.01). Although described as characteristic of prostatitis in the literature, low back or rectal pain did not distinguish patients with prostatitis from those with BPH. Patients with prostatitis were intermediate between patients with BPH and sexual dysfunction on the voiding scale and similar to the BPH group on the sexual dysfunction scale.

Conclusions. Pain symptoms were the predominant urologic manifestations of chronic prostatitis. The symptom index may prove valuable for evaluating patients and describing clinical results. Copyright 1996 by Elsevier Science Inc.