How frequent are invasive therapies required in patients receiving tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia? A retrospective long-term study.
Three hundred Japanese patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who started an alpha1-adrenoceptor blocker, tamsulosin, between 1993 and 1996 were followed for 3.0+/-3.3 years (mean+/-SD) to determine whether an association existed between the disease severities measured prior to the tamsulosin treatment and the timing at which the invasive therapy was implemented. Patients with a lower quality of life (QOL) index or maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) were transferred for invasive therapy earlier than those with less severe BPH. The International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) was also associated, but apparently to a lesser extent, with the timing of the invasive therapy. Finally, the overall severity evaluated using all of the above three indices, I-PSS, QOL index, and Qmax, in accordance with the 'Severity Criteria for BPH' issued by the Japanese Urological Association, was found to be a good measure for predicting the prognosis of patients with BPH treated with tamsulosin.
Tokyo Teishin Hospital, and Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan. kkawabe@tth-japanpost.jp
Kazuki
K
Kawabe
Yukio
Y
Homma
Kiyoshi
K
Kubota
Takashi
T
Sozu
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077409:Tamsulosin; D013997:Time Factors
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000077409:Tamsulosin