The prostate volume is not enlarged in some patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Evidence shows that prostate fibrosis, in addition to BPH and smooth muscle dysfunction, is one of the causes of LUTS, and that its occurrence is related to inflammation of various causes, ischemia, hypoxia and drugs, with the differentiation, aggregation and activation of myofibroblasts involved in its pathogenesis. Therefore, anti-inflammation and anti-fibrosis strategies may be considered as potential targets for the treatment of LUTS. This article presents an overview on the causes of prostatic fibrosis, its diagnosis, its association with LUTS, and the advances in its treatment.
Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia; fibrosis; inflammation; lower urinary tract symptoms; prostate.