OBJECTIVES: To evaluate hospitalization registry  and disease costs of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients in the public healthcare system in Brazil. METHODS: A 3-year longitudinal analysis (2009 to 2011) of an anonymized government administrative database (Inpatient Information System - SIH/DATASUS) was performed. Patients with at least one BPH registry (ICD10 D291/N40) were uniquely identified by the following parameters: date of birth, postal code, gender, and ethnicity and followed over the analysis period to find events associated with  BPH. Patients with  prostate/bladder cancer were excluded. Deterministic registry matching procedures were applied. Costs were reported in 2012 Brazilian currency (1BRL=0.52USD). Outcomes assessed were rehospitalization rates, age and ethnicity distribution. Descriptive statistics [i.e., average, standard deviation (SD) and proportions] summarized studied data. RESULTS: A total of 55,123 patients (average 68.4±8.8 years) were identified throughout the analysis. Age distribution was 15.6% ≤59 years, 74% 60-79 and 10.4% ≥80. Ethnicity distribution was: 36.5% whites, 24.8% Latin, 3.8% Black, 1.1% others and 33.7% without information. Most patients were admitted to hospital for BPH surgical procedures (88.4%). Percentage of a second hospitalization due to BPH was 9.9%. Other 2.5% required three or more hospitalizations. Percentage of total hospitalizations and total costs for BPH associated events were: Acute Urinary Retention (AUR): 2.6% and 1.9%, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): 2.6% and 1.3%, Urethral Stenosis: 1.9% and 1.0%, Infection and Inflammation: 0.8% and 0.3%, Renal Failure 0.7% and 1.2% and Others: 2.4% and 2.8%. Total cost was BRL60,7 million (BRL20million yearly) with an average cost of BRL1,100/patient/year, with age group variations of BRL889 in 40-49 years to BRL1,147 in 70-79 years.  Total cost with BPH associated events was BRL5,1million. CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, BPH patients are more frequently hospitalized in age group 60-79 with a 3-year rehospitalization rate reaching 12.4%. AUR and UTI represented the most frequent and costly BPH associated events.