Botox Eases Symptoms of Enlarged Prostate

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A small study of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as BPH or an enlarged prostate, shows Botox helps ease the condition, without major side effects.

The study of 41 men conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Chang Gung University Medical College in Taiwan involved delivering Botox injections directly into the prostate glands of patients between ages 49 and 79.

Results show 75 percent of the men reported a 30-percent improvement in symptoms and quality of life following the treatment. Another 80 percent of patients were able to empty their bladders completely one week to one month after treatment.

"Our results are encouraging because they indicate that Botox could represent a simple, safe and effective treatment for enlarged prostate," says Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Chancellor and his colleagues believe Botox injections work by prompting relaxation and shrinkage of the prostate gland through programmed cell death.

More than half of all men will experience enlarged prostate by age 60. The condition is characterized by frequent and difficult urination, the inability to completely empty the bladder, and urinary tract infections. Common surgical treatments carry risks of side effects including impotence.

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SOURCE: American Urological Association Conference, Atlanta, May 20-25, 2006