Combination treatment with tamsulosin and dutasteride for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract

Lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) commonly affect older men, notably 50% of men in their sixties and 80% of men in their nineties. Many men will seek medical care for their symptoms and decreased quality of life. If left untreated, many men will experience progression of their BPH resulting in acute urinary retention or need for surgical intervention. Currently, two classes of drugs, α-adrenergic blockers (‘openers’) and 5-α reductase inhibitors (‘shrinkers’), are prescribed to treat lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to BPH. Due to their different mechanisms of action, trials of combination therapy have been conducted to assess their effect compared with monotherapy. The Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms and The Combination of Avodart and Tamsulosin studies demonstrated significantly more effective reduction in symptoms and lower rates of clinical progression in the combination therapy treatment groups. Current data supports combination therapy in men with moderately enlarged prostates and moderate-to-severe symptoms.