Age-specific reference range for serum prostate-specific antigen in Sudanese men

OBJECTIVE: To determine age-specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reference values in a community-based sample of Sudanese men, aged 40-90 years.

METHODS: This study was conducted in the Central Laboratory Services, Soba University Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan from January 2008 to May 2010. Total serum PSA in 3475 Sudanese men with no clinical evidence of lower urinary tract symptoms were measured using immunoenzometric assay. Out of the 3475, only 1051 men met the inclusion criteria. Those with total PSA <10 ng/ml and no recent urinary tract infection were included in this study. The data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows to define age-specific reference ranges of PSA.

RESULTS: The geometric mean of total serum PSA in the study group of Sudanese men was 1.48 ng/ml. The 95th percentile total serum PSA ranges in the age groups was 0-3 ng/ml for 40-49 years, 0-3.02 ng/ml for 50-59 years, 0-3.8 ng/ml for 60-69 years and 0-8.7 ng/ml for 70-90 years.

CONCLUSION: The currently adopted age-specific total PSA reference ranges are not appropriate for Sudanese men. Accordingly, our study indicates that the reference ranges of this study may be more suitable.