Effect of dutasteride on the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and patient quality of life and discomfort, in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the improvements in symptoms, quality of life (QoL), discomfort and satisfaction in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treated with dutasteride in clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective, multicentre open-label study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety in clinical practice of dutasteride, 0.5 mg/day for 24 weeks, in patients with symptomatic BPH. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving at least a 3-point decrease from baseline in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) after 24 weeks of treatment. The secondary endpoints included changes from baseline in measures of QoL (IPSS item 8 and BPH Impact Index score, BII), and patient discomfort and satisfaction (visual analogue scales, VAS) at 12 and 24 weeks.
RESULTS: Of the 366 patients assessed, 72.5% achieved at least a 3-point reduction in IPSS at 24 weeks; the IPSS decreased from 15.3 at baseline to 10.2 at 12 weeks, and to 9.1 at 24 weeks. There were significant (P < 0.001) decreases in all the individual IPSS items at 12 and 24 weeks, with more marked improvements in voiding symptoms than storage symptoms. There were also significant (P < 0.001) improvements in the BII and VAS scores for patient discomfort and satisfaction at both times.
CONCLUSIONS: Dutasteride treatment for 24 weeks significantly improved BPH symptoms, QoL and patient discomfort and satisfaction, and was well tolerated in clinical practice.