To assess the correlation between age, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) and the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and to determine the significant factors for predicting the serum PSA level in men with a low risk of prostate cancer.

A total of 38 356 healthy male employees of the Korea Electric Power Corporation who were <60 years old and had a serum PSA level of <4 ng/mL were enrolled in this study from January 2002 to December 2006. Their BP, body weight, and body height were measured, and biochemical analyses of FBG, triglycerides, HDL, and serum PSA were performed.

The mean age ± standard deviation was 44.38 ± 7.90 years; the mean serum PSA level was 0.89 ± 0.51 ng/mL; and the incidence of metabolic syndrome was 25.8%. On univariate analysis, significant correlations were noted between the serum PSA level and body mass index, diastolic BP, HDL, and FBG (P < .05). Multiple logistic regression analyses using 4 percentiles (10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile) of the serum PSA level revealed trends for a positive association between older age and diastolic BP and the serum PSA level. The body mass index, HDL, and FBG correlated negatively with the serum PSA level.

These results suggest that the serum PSA level is significantly influenced by age and some components of the metabolic syndrome (obesity, diastolic BP, HDL, and FBG).