Spinal cord injury (SCI) exerts profound effects on prostate gland morphology, manifesting as reductions in prostate weight, volume, epithelial cell height, and molecular markers across acute (first 2 weeks), subacute (2 weeks to 3 months), and chronic (>3 months) phases. This literature review provides a comparative characterization of these changes, revealing acute atrophy with elevated TRPM-2 mRNA levels (up to 5-fold increase) and transient androgen receptor (AR) mRNA downregulation, progressing to persistent volume reduction (mean 13-19 g in severe SCI vs. 28-40 g in controls) and lowered PSA levels (50% reduction in risk-associated metrics). Drawing from 1997-2023 peer-reviewed sources, findings underscore neuro-hormonal disruptions as causative, with implications for reduced prostate cancer incidence (approximately 50% lower in SCI cohorts). Statistical analyses indicate significant correlations (p<0.02) between injury severity and atrophy extent, predicting sustained hypogonadism-driven morphological stability in chronic phases based on longitudinal rodent and human data.

Spinal cord injury, prostate gland, morphological changes, atrophy, epithelial cells, TRPM-2 mRNA, androgen receptors, PSA levels, testosterone, neuro-hormonal pathways.

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