PATIENTS AND METHODS
Eighteen male patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in our service between March 18, 2020 and April 5, 2020, and who had previously known BPH and who used alpha-blockers and/or five alpha-reductase inhibitors were included in the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the local hospital manager. Oral consent was obtained from patients or relatives. Patients whose information could not be reached through their medical record, who had previous prostate surgery, whose prostate specific antigen (PSA) value was higher than 4 ng/mL and who never consulted an urology physician despite having complaints of lower urinary system were excluded from the study. All patients included in the study had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection via sputum or nasopharyngeal swab samples evaluated through SARS-CoV2 nucleic acid RT-PCR. Whether the patient had BPH or not was investigated through the patient information system (Health Information System). A detailed history of all patients was taken and it was found that alpha blockers and/or five alpha-reductase inhibitors were prescribed by the urologist. Our hospitals are reference pandemic centers in Istanbul where there are the most SARS-CoV-2 cases in our country. Clinical, radiological data, underlying comorbidities, laboratory findings during hospitalization, treatment, complications and outcomes data were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Epidemiological data such as age, body mass index (BMI), exposure to source of transmission, incubation period (defined as the time from exposure to source of transmission to onset of symptom), and familial cluster were collected. Clinical symptoms and comorbid diseases were questioned and recorded. In our clinic, standard treatments were applied and recorded according to the risk group, which was frequently revised according to current data, together with the scientific committee of our Ministry of Health. All possible complications (lymphopenia, hypoxemia, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), arrhythmia, acute kidney injury, acute liver injury and acute cardiac injury) were recorded during their stay in the hospital.