Terazosin is an [alpha.sub.1] blocker that was first approved for use as an antihypertensive agent. It has recently received approval for use in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Guthrie evaluated the effectiveness of terazosin in a population of men with both hypertension and BPH.
Of 5,365 middle-aged hypertensive men enrolled in the study, 1,483 had both essential hypertension and symptomatic BPH. Patients were given terazosin over a 12-week period in an open-label trial. Drug dosage was increased by protocol to obtain adequate antihypertensive response. The Boyarsky scale, a validated instrument for scoring symptoms related to BPH, was administered at the beginning and the end of the 12-week trial.
Significant reductions in mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were noted after 12 weeks in all patients with hypertension. In addition, Boyarsky scores of BPH symptoms were reduced by an average of 55 percent in the 1,483 symptomatic men. Adverse side effects were mild.
The authors conclude that terazosin is a safe and effective treatment for patients with both hypertension and BPH. (Journal of Family Practice, August 1994, vol. 39, p. 129.)
EDITOR'S NOTE: This trial, although well-conducted by community primary care physicians on a large number of patients, was not a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The placebo effect could have accounted for some (or even all) of the improvement in BPH symptoms in these men. As the authors observe, long-term, placebo-controlled trials are needed to validate these results and to determine whether terazosin treatment will help postpone or prevent the need for prostate surgery in patients with symptomatic BPH.
COPYRIGHT 1995 American Academy of Family Physicians
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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