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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
A Shot of Botox May Help Men with Enlarged Prostate
Botox is not just for smoothing wrinkles anymore
May 23, 2006 - Enlarged prostate is one of the most
common diseases affecting men as they age. More than half of all men
over the age of 60, and 80 percent by age 80, will have enlarged
prostates. And, these old guys may soon be turning to Botox – not to
smooth their wrinkles but to ease the pain with an injection in their
prostate.
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Forty to 50 percent of these men will develop
symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition commonly
referred to as enlarged prostate, which include more frequent urination,
urinary tract infections, the inability to completely empty the bladder
and, in severe cases, eventual damage to the bladder and kidneys.
When researchers at the Chang Gung University
Medical College, Taiwan and the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine injected botulinum toxin A, or Botox, into the prostate gland
of men with BPH, they found that it eased symptoms and improved quality
of life. Their results, based on 41 men with the condition, will be
presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA)
in Atlanta and published in abstract 1436 in the AUA proceedings.
"Millions of men in the United States suffer from
enlarged prostate," said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of
urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine. "It's a challenging disease to live with because it causes
frequent and difficult urination. Unfortunately, common treatments also
are problematic because they carry some risk of serious side effects,
such as impotence. Our results are encouraging because they indicate
that Botox could represent a simple, safe and effective treatment for
enlarged prostate."
The patients, ranging in age from 49 to 79 years,
with symptomatic BPH that did not respond to standard medical treatment,
received injections of Botox directly into their prostate glands.
● Thirty-one patients, or 75.6 percent, experienced
a 30 percent improvement in urinary tract symptoms and quality of life.
These improvements were seen up to one year post-injection in some of
the patients.
● Four out of five patients, or 80 percent, were
able to completely empty their bladders within a week to one month after
the injection, as the Botox caused the prostate gland to relax, putting
less pressure on the urethra.
●Patients did not experience any significant side
effects, including stress urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction.
According to Dr. Chancellor, Botox reduces the size
of the prostate gland through a cellular process called apoptosis, in
which the prostate cells die in a programmed manner. This reduction in
size can improve urine flow and decrease residual urine left in the
bladder.
BPH is one of the most common diseases affecting
men as they age. More than half of all men over the age of 60, and 80
percent by age 80, will have enlarged prostates. Forty to 50 percent
will develop symptoms of BPH, which include more frequent urination,
urinary tract infections, the inability to completely empty the bladder
and, in severe cases, eventual damage to the bladder and kidneys.
Contributors to the study include Yao-Chi Chuang,
M.D., Po-Hui Chiang, M.D., and Kaohsiung Hsien, M.D., with the Chang
Gung University Medical College, Taiwan; and Naoki Yoshimura M.D.,
Ph.D., and Fernando de Miguel, Ph.D., with the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine. The study is funded by a grant from Allergan.
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