Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Current and Future Therapeutics.

ABSTRACT

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases of old-aged men affecting >90% of men in their 70s and 80s. Although the exact cause is not known, most people agree that dihydrotestosterone plays a strong role in pathogenesis. BPH can be a progressive disease. Severe BPH can cause serious problems including renal insufficiency. Surprisingly the risk factors for BPH are found to be the same as for cardiovascular diseases. Management of BPH has changed significantly in the last decade. α-blockers and 5α-reductase inhibitors are the most commonly used drugs. A number of other drugs belonging to newer groups like phosphodiesterase inhibitors, hexokinase inhibitors like lonidamine, antagonists of endothelin, vanilloid and purine receptors and modulators of JM-27 expression are also showing promise. These are in different stages of clinical trials. The surgical counterpart of treatment has also witnessed recent advancements. Newer techniques like potassium-titanylphosphate (KTP) laser and photo selective vaporization of prostate have been shown to have nearly equal efficacy as that of transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) with less side effects.