Treatment for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: levofloxacin, doxazosin and their combination.
BACKGROUND
We performed a prospective, randomized study to examine the efficacies of levofloxacin and doxazosin alone and as a combination therapy in patients with National Institutes of Health (NIH) category III chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.


METHODS
Men with a NIH diagnosis of category III chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and who had experienced pelvic pain for more than 3 months during the last 6 months were enrolled. All patients underwent treatment for 6 weeks. The patients were assessed at baseline and after 2 and 6 weeks by using the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Eighty-one men (average age 40.1 years) were randomized to either the levofloxacin group (n = 26), the doxazosin group (n = 26), or the combination group (n = 29).


RESULTS
The average baseline NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index total scores were 22.6, 22.4, and 24.1, respectively. At 6 weeks, the total scores were 11.2 (response rate 50.3%), 17.7 (response rate 21.1%), and 13.1 (response rate 45.6%), respectively. The levofloxacin group showed a higher response rate than the doxazosin group, not at 2 weeks but at 6 weeks (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
For a 6-week short-term treatment levofloxacin is more effective than doxazosin for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. In addition, levofloxacin monotherapy was also more effective when compared with the combination therapy.
Jeong
Chang Wook
CW
Department of Urology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Lim
Dae Jung
DJ
Son
Hwancheol
H
Lee
Sang Eun
SE
Jeong
Hyeon
H
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017292:Doxazosin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D064704:Levofloxacin; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015242:Ofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D064704:Levofloxacin; D015242:Ofloxacin; D017292:Doxazosin