Abstract
Three homogeneous groups of patients suffering from benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) were evaluated by means of a two-year observational study, in order to assess and compare their Quality of Life (QoL) under the following different medical treatments. Group 1: alfuzosin alone, Group 2: alfuzosin and dutasteride, Group 3: dutasteride alone. QoL was evaluated by validated indexes, such as the IPSS and the QoL-Vas.
Although different in entity and timing, as expected, all the three groups showed an improvement. The best and quickest results were detected in the drug association of Group 2. Significant decrease in volume was detected in the dutasteride groups (2 and 3) but not in group 1 (alfuzosin alone), where a quick relief of LUTS was detected, due to its well-known alphalytic action. Our results suggest that dutasteride alone does not result in a rapid decrease in LUTS, whereas it can help to manage the reduction of the prostate volume. A combination therapy seems therefore to be recommended to obtain LUTS relief both in the short and long term results.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.