[Combination drug therapy in patients with BPH]

Introuction. One of the risk factors for LUTS is an infravesical obstruction, which is most often caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH symptoms are formed due to three components: static (mechanical), dynamic, and impaired functional capacity of the bladder. Medical treatment with 1-blockers decreases the outflow obstruction. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are used to inhibit the static component of BPH.

To investigate the effectiveness of various modifications of medical therapy of BPH using -blockers and 5-reductase inhibitors and combinations thereof.

The study comprised 90 BPH patients who were divided into three groups, with each group containing 30 people. Patients of group I, II and III received monotherapy with -blockers, a combination of 5-reductase and -blockers, and fixed-dose combination drug Duodart, respectively. Evaluation of the treatment effectiveness included filling out voiding diaries, completing the I-PSS and QL questionnaires, uroflowmetry, transrectal ultrasonography of the prostate and estimation of the incidence of adverse effects. Also, compliance with the treatment was evaluated, and the number of patients who had episodes of acute urinary retention and required surgical treatment during the 12 month treatment course was registered.

Compared to monotherapy, combination therapy with -blockers and 5-reductase inhibitors more effectively reduces the LUTS, increases Qmax and prevents the disease progression, which manifests in a lower incidence of AUR and fewer surgical interventions in groups II and III. However, the combination therapy can be associated with some side effects. Patients who received fixed-dose combination drug Duodart had a greater compliance rate than patients on the combination of drugs, which, in our opinion, is associated with fewer cases of AUR and surgical interventions.

The use of Duodart in patients with BPH effectively alleviates LUTS and reduces the risk of the disease progression, which manifests itself in a reduced number of complications and thereby contributes to improving the quality of life of patients.