The incidence of acute urinary retention secondary to BPH is increasing among California men

Background: Current epidemiological patterns of adverse events of clinical BPH remain unclear. We investigated trends in acute urinary retention (AUR) associated with BPH in a large, population-based cohort. Methods: We utilized the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Database to examine 3 724 016 emergency room (ER) visits in California among men aged ⩾ 50 years from 2007 to 2010. Outcomes included AUR for which BPH was the primary diagnosis, AUR for which BPH was a secondary diagnosis and urethral catheterization for AUR. We generated adjusted odds ratios (OR adj ) using multivariate logistic regression to determine longitudinal trends. Results: A total of 17 023 men presented with a diagnosis of BPH-associated AUR, the unadjusted incidence of which increased from 4.00 per 1000 ER visits in 2007 to 5.23 per 1000 ER visits in 2010 ( P