Antidepression medication improves quality of life in elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and...

We aim to explore the influence of an antidepression medication on symptom scores and quality of life in elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia accompanied by depression. We conducted a randomized controlled clinical trial which included 94 elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia accompanied by depression in Xuan Wu Hospital and Beijing Boai Hospital during August 2008 to May 2012. The study was designed to compare outcomes related to patient quality of life (QoL). The patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups, consisting of a control group (n = 47) and a therapy group (n = 47), and were followed up for 3 months. The pre-treatment and post-treatment changes among patients in the two groups were compared using their respective IPSS symptom scores, HAM-D scores, and scores on the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Following treatment, the patient IPSS symptom scores in the therapy group were significantly lower than those in the control group (10.74 ± 4.72 vs. 16.42 ± 8.09, respectively; t = 4.157, P < 0.05). Additionally, each measured dimension of QoL was significantly higher in the therapy group [total score (69.12 ± 3.92) vs. (61.30 ± 3.51), P < 0.05]. The results show antidepression medication can improve the symptoms and quality of life among elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia accompanied by depression. Our findings suggest that an antidepression medication should be included when treating elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.