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Medical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia

INTRODUCTION

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) becomes increasingly common as men age (graph 1). BPH can lead to urinary symptoms that may benefit from medical or surgical treatment. However, many men with BPH are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, and may not require therapy.

The medical therapy of BPH will be reviewed here. Surgical and other invasive therapies, the clinical manifestations, natural history, and diagnosis of BPH, and the epidemiology and pathogenesis of BPH are all discussed separately. (See "Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia" and "Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia" and "Epidemiology and pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia".)

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men of uncertain etiology, or from etiologies other than BPH also are discussed separately. (See "Lower urinary tract symptoms in men".)

DEFINITIONS

A number of different terms and abbreviations are used when discussing symptomatic BPH. These include:

  • Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
  • Benign prostatic enlargement (BPE)
  • Benign prostatic obstruction (BPO)
  • Bladder outlet obstruction (BOO)
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