Long-term (4 year) efficacy and tolerability of doxazosin for the treatment of concurrent benign prostatic hyperplasia and hypertension.
BACKGROUND
The alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist doxazosin has proved successful in treating patients with concurrent benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and hypertension in short-term studies. However, both conditions are chronic and may worsen over time. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine the tolerability and efficacy of doxazosin in the long-term treatment of concurrent BPH and hypertension.


METHODS
This study was a longitudinal extension of earlier double-blind trials. Patients were enrolled into the study on a rolling basis. From a total of 178 BPH patients with hypertension enrolled into the study, 28 had reached 48 months of open-label treatment with doxazosin at the time of the final data cutoff.


RESULTS
Treatment with doxazosin resulted in sustained benefits for BPH patients over the whole study period, with significant improvements in the severity (12.2%, P < 0.001) and bothersomeness (13.2%, P < 0.001) of BPH symptoms, and in the maximum urinary flow rate (26.6%, P < 0.05) from baseline to the end of the 4-year period. There was also a significant and sustained reduction in diastolic blood pressure. The efficacy of doxazosin treatment for both BPH and hypertension was maintained over the 4-year period, despite the tendency of these conditions to worsen with time. Comparison of adverse events in patients with long- and short-term hypertension and BPH demonstrates that the safety of doxazosin is not altered during long-term therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that doxazosin appears to be well tolerated and efficacious in the long-term management of concurrent BPH and hypertension.
Fawzy
A
A
Urologic Institute of New Orleans and Department of Nephrology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, 70056, USA. afawzy@iAmerica.net
Hendry
A
A
Cook
E
E
Gonzalez
F
F
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D017292:Doxazosin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012449:Safety; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000187:drug effects
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D017292:Doxazosin