According to a study conducted by researcher Dr Curtis Nickel, professor at Queens University, and a urologist at Kingston General Hospital, the drug failed to significantly reduce symptoms of men who had been treated with the it.
Dr Curtis stated that “Although the evidence for using alpha-blockers to treat new cases of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is weak, some physicians have advocated use of this class of drug in men with this condition. Our findings do not support this recommendation and should prompt reconsideration of use of an alpha-blocker as the first drug of choice for these patients.”
Dr Nickel and his colleagues carried a 12 week clinical trail. The study involved 233 men in two groups who had been diagnosed with the chronic ailment. The subjects, none of who had received prior treatment with beta blockers, were randomly assigned either alfuzosin or an identical looking placebo.
During the course of treatment the patients were questioned about the rate of improvement, urination problems and also how the quality of their life was affected. Dr Nickel and his team observed that the responses from both groups were similar.
Dr Griffin P Rodgers Director of (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease said "Although these results are disappointing, it is just as important to find out what doesn't work as it is to know what does. We have conclusively shown that a drug commonly prescribed for men with chronic prostatitis did not significantly reduce symptoms compared to a placebo."
He further added that “In medical research, it is as important to find out which treatments are effective, as well as those which are not beneficial. Now researchers can focus their efforts on more promising therapies.”
Approximately 6-12 percent men are affected by the enigmatic condition known as chronic prostatitis- chronic pelvic syndrome. Traditionally the prostate has been implicated but evidence implicates other organs and sites within the pelvis. It leads to pain in the genital and urinary tract and contributes to sexual dysfunction in patients diagnosed with such a condition.
The study was sponsored by NIDDK part of National Institute o Health, and was published in New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Massachusetts General Hospital, Stanford University, Temple University, The Glickman Urologic Institute in Cleveland, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Maryland, and University of Mississippi also participated in the study.
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