title: Long-term results of medical treatment in benign prostatic hyperplasia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In real-life clinical practice, we determined the incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-related surgery in patients with BPH who received alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker (alpha-blocker) and/or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor combination treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study enrolled 341 patients with BPH who were prescribed an alpha-blocker and/or a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor as their first treatment from January 1997 to June 1999. Using follow-up data from a 6 to 8-year period, we calculated the incidence of AUR and BPH-related surgery in the alpha-blocker-only group and in the combination group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 341 patients, 192 were in the alpha-blocker group and 149 were in the combination group. Of these, 17.7% in the alpha-blocker group and 12.1% in the combination group experienced AUR (P <0.05). BPH-related surgery was performed in 10.9% of the alpha-blocker-only group and 6.0% of the combination group (P <0.05). The incidence of AUR and BPH-related surgery was reduced by 32.3% and 48.9% when the prostate volume was larger than 35 g and by 49.4% and 60.6% when the prostate-specific antigen level was greater than 2.0 ng/mL, respectively, in the combination group compared with the corresponding values in the alpha-blocker group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Real-life clinical practice showed that long-term combination treatment with alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors reduced the risk of BPH progression, such as AUR or BPH-related surgery, compared with alpha-blocker-only treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea. cikim@dsmc.or.kr
authors.forename: Chun Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyuk Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Byoung Kun
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Choal Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D042944:Cholestenone 5 alpha-Reductase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D042944:Cholestenone 5 alpha-Reductase