Objective: To investigate the relationship between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene Fok I polymorphisms and BPH complicated by histological prostatitis (BPH + HP).
Methods: We detected Fok I polymorphisms in the peripheral blood of 79 patients with BPH + HP and 81 controls with BPH only using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and analyzed the frequency distribution of the genotypes and alleles of the two groups of patients.
Results: Obvious differences were found in the distribution of genotypes and alleles between the BPH + HP patients (FF: 27% [21/79], Ff: 30% [24/79], ff: 43% [34/79]) and the controls (FF: 33% [27/81], Ff: 36% [29/81], ff: 31% [25/81]), with statistical significance in the distribution of the genotype ff (P < 0.05). The histological prostatitis group showed a significant difference from the controls in the frequency of the f allele (58% [196/338] vs 49% [153/312], P < 0.05), but not in that of the F allele (42% [142/338] vs 51% [159/312] , P > 0.05).
Conclusion: VDR Fok I polymorphisms may be correlated with BPH complicated by histological prostatitis.