[Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with Proscar (finasteride). Results of a 10-year Scandinavian study]

707 patients with moderate prostatic hyperplasia were recruited to a two-year Scandinavian multicenter study. The study was randomized, prospective and double-blind. Half of the patients were treated with finasteride (5 mg daily) and the controls were given placebo. The patients were monitored with regard to symptoms, urinary flow rate and prostate volume. In addition, various laboratory examinations were performed. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups with regard to symptom improvement and increase in urinary flow rate in favour of finasteride. Finasteride reduced prostate volume and stopped further growth, leading to a difference of 30% in prostate volume between the two groups after two years of treatment. Thus, finasteride was able to stop the continuous growth of the prostate in the elderly male. The proportion of patients with adverse clinical experiences was similar in both treatment groups. However, the finasteride-treated group contained more patients with sexual dysfunction. We conclude that finasteride is an alternative to vigilant waiting for patients with moderate symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.