Prostate specific antigen in Africans: a study in Nigerian men

Background: Since the reference range of prostate specific antigen (PSA) that are used for the screening, diagnosis and management of prostate disease are based on studies of PSA range in Caucasians and African-Americas, they may not be applicable to other ethnicities, especially indigenous African populations. Methods: In a hospital-based study, we measured total PSA levels using an immunoassay (DSL-10-9700 Active Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Webster, TX) in patients with prostate disease (n = 48) and age-matched controls (n = 64). Results: The mean total PSA value for healthy Nigerians was significantly lower than the established values for African-Americans (2.22+/- 2.90 ng/ml versus 7.56+/- 1.11 ng/ml, respectively). PSA values in the controls did not increase with age. Severity of symptoms was not age-dependent; however, PSA levels did increase with severity of symptoms (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The PSA range of healthy Nigerian men were significantly lower than those of African-American or Caucasian men. This underscores the need for a population-specific reference range for African men. Key Words: Prostate specific antigen, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol.5(1&2) 2003: 114-11