EFFECT OF DOXAZOSIN ON THE SYMPTOMS OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA -RESULTS FROM 3 DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDIES

The urinary symptoms characteristic of benign prostatic hyperplasia (B PH) can have a considerable impact on patients' quality of life. Sympt om score assessment is now used in BPH, although a number of different instruments are available. Controlled clinical trials with selective alpha(1) adrenoceptor antagonists such as doxazosin, prazosin and tera zosin have shown these agents to be effective in the treatment of BPH. The effects of doxazosin on the severity and bothersomeness of BPH sy mptoms were determined in three multicentre, double-blind, placebo-con trolled clinical studies, involving a total of 609 normotensive and hy pertensive patients, Doxazosin was initiated at a dosage of 0.5 or 1 m g once daily, with a final dose range of up to 12 mg once daily. The d uration of active treatment was 12 to 14 weeks, Significant improvemen ts were seen in symptom severity and bothersomeness with doxazosin com pared with placebo, in both patient populations. The onset of symptoma tic improvement was rapid, occurring within two weeks of treatment ini tiation, and efficacy was sustained throughout the treatment period. A long-term, open label extension of these studies has demonstrated sus tained efficacy during 48 months of follow-up, Since symptom relief is the primary goal of therapy in BPH, and since doxazosin's effects are rapid in onset and sustained in duration, it appears that doxazosin i s an effective agent for the treatment of symptomatic BPH in both norm otensive and hypertensive men.