Serum NGF levels varied greatly. Serum

NGF concentrations in healthy humans are not normally distributed. About 10% of healthy people have relatively high NGF concentrations.68,69 We also noted the same findings of serum NGF levels in OAB patients, but not in normal controls. The high serum NGF levels in healthy humans in other studies might result from underlying systemic conditions that affect serum NGF levels. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein found in the blood, the levels of which rise in response to inflammation. CRP is synthesized by the liver in response to factors released by fat cells (adipocytes).70 Serum CRP level can be used as a nonspecific marker of systemic inflammation. Chronic prostatic inflammation has been hypothesized to be associated with the BAY 57-1293 manufacturer pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, the association between histological prostatic inflammation and LUTS is relatively weak.71 Rohrmann et al.72 reported that men with serum CRP levels >0.30 mg/dL were more likely to show three or four symptoms

(i.e. nocturia, incomplete emptying, hesitancy, and weak stream) from the Third National check details Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Another report using longitudinal data from the Olmsted County study73 showed that patients with higher serum CRP levels were approximately two times more likely to exhibit a rapid increase in storage LUTS and almost 2.5 times more likely to show a rapid decrease in peak flow rate. Kupelian et al.74 reported a significant association between serum CRP level and overall International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in both men and women included in the Boston Area Community

Health (BACH) survey. We this website also reported the serum CRP levels are associated with residual urgency symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia after medical treatment.75 In women, serum CRP was also found to elevate in OAB patients. CRP levels were significantly higher in women with OAB-wet than in those with bladder oversensitivity and in the normal control group. Women with voiding dysfunction also had a non-significantly higher CRP level. Further analysis revealed that body mass index and maximum flow rate were two independent factors influencing CRP levels. However, serum CRP level is not considered a suitable biomarker for discriminating female non-SUI LUTD. As patients with OAB may have frequent detrusor contractions during the storage phase, it is possible that sustained isometric detrusor contractions could result in increased muscle bulk and hence increased detrusor wall thickness (DWT) or bladder wall thickness (BWT). It has been hypothesized that DWT increases in patients with DO.