Objectives: To assess the results of doxazosin treatment in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) treated for 15 months and to correlate symptomatic changes with alterations in urodynamic measures.
Methods: After an initial 3-month treatment period with doxazosin 4 mg/day, 50 men with LUTS were given the choice of continued treatment with this agent or other therapeutic options. All patients were evaluated by International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaires and urodynamic evaluation initially and after 3 months of treatment. Patients were followed for an additional 12 months and those who continued doxazosin treatment underwent repeat urodynamic testing.
Results: Among the original 50 patients, 24 men (48%) continued doxazosin treatment for 15 months, 18 men (36%) discontinued therapy, and 8 men (16%) were either dead or lost to follow-up or had been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. Comparison of values at 3 and 15 months of follow-up (9.4 versus 13.4, P = 0.03) showed significant worsening of voiding symptoms, as assessed by the IPSS, in the 24 men still receiving doxazosin. This deterioration of subjective results with doxazosin occurred despite continued improvements in peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), detrusor pressure at peak flow (PdetQmax), and objective measures of obstruction (Abrams-Griffiths number) from 3 to 15 months of follow-up.
Conclusions: Relief of voiding symptoms in men with LUTS treated with doxazosin over prolonged intervals of 15 months does not correlate well with changes in urodynamic measures.