20 August 2008
Impotence Drug Also Relieves Enlarged Prostate Symptoms
by George Atkinson

Men with an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia - BPH) may be helped with a daily dose of the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis (tadalafil), which appears to relieve the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with the condition, say researchers in The Journal of Urology.

Lower urinary tract symptoms - urinary frequency, urgency, intermittence, straining, incomplete emptying or a weak urinary stream - increase with age and half of all men over 50 suffer from them. The drugs previously used to treat these symptoms could produce unwanted side effects, including dizziness, low blood pressure and sexual dysfunction.

In the new study, 1056 subjects with LUTS were divided randomly into 5 groups that received a placebo, or doses of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 or 20.0 mg/day of Cialis (known chemically as a PDE5 inhibitor). The researchers found that all doses of tadalafil were superior to placebo for relieving LUTS, with statistically significant effects at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.

"Since reports of erectile dysfunction (ED) incidence and treatment have shown a possible link between BPH LUTS and ED, tadalafil [Cialis] has received increased attention for treating BPH LUTS. The half-life of tadalafil is 17.5 hours, making it suitable as once daily therapy. Although the precise mechanism of action by which PDE5 inhibitors may alleviate LUTS is not completely understood, several putative mechanisms are currently under investigation," said researcher Claus G. Roehrborn.

Related:
Side-Effects From Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Mostly Beneficial, Says Study
Dealing With An Enlarged Prostate (BPH)

Source: Journal of Urology

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