Abstract
Introduction
Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a common disease whose frequency has risen throughout the world in concomitance with the increase in life expectancy. BPH causes voiding distur-bances known by the acronym LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms), which heavily influence the quality of life in the elderly. The treatment for LUTS is mainly divided into medical and surgical, the latter usually represented by prostate ablation. Medical therapy includes synthetic molecules that interfere with the hormonal control of BPH or act on the bladder neck tonus, as well as natural remedies based on plant extracts from Serenoa Repens and/or Urtica Dioica.
Material and Methods
TWO groups of patients who were candidates for surgery for BPH-induced LUTS, were randomly recruited in a six-month trial aimed at comparing outcome of treatment with a new combination of plants extracts (Pluvio®), which differs from the previous ones in that it also contains avocado and soya oil, as well as a high dose of Urtica Dioica, with no therapy.
Age, IPSS score, maximal uroflow, prostate volume, PSA, free-to-total PSA ratio, post voiding residual urine and number of nocturia episodes were recorded and statistically evaluated using a NCSS 60® program.
Result
A marked benefit in terms of quality of life, measured by IPSS score, uroflow, residual urine and nocturia, was observed in the treated group compared to controls. PSA and prostate volume were not significantly affected. No noteworthy adverse events were observed.
Conclusions
The new phytotherapeutic combination evaluated in the present study would seem to be highly effective for the treatment of LUTS in BPH patients and does not have negative side effects. Its use could therefore be strongly advocated in this setting.
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