Are phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors effective for the management of lower urinary symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia

AIM: To review the efficacy of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostate hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). METHODS: A comprehensive research was conducted to identify all publications relating to benign prostate hyperplasia and treatment with sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil. To assess the efficacy, the changes in total international prostate symptom score (IPSS), IPSS subscore including voiding, storage and quality of life (QoL), Benign prostatic hyperplasia Impact Index (BII), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) were extracted. A meta-analytical technique was used for the analysis of integrated data from the included studies to evaluate the mean difference in the results. RESULTS: Total IPSS score, IIEF and BII showed a significant improvement in trials in which LUTS/BPH with or without erectile dysfunction (ED) were compared with the placebo. For LUTS/BPH, the mean differences of total IPSS score, IIEF and BII are -2.17, 4.88 and -0.43, P < 0.00001, respectively. For LUTS/BPH with comorbid ED, the mean difference are -1.97, 4.54 and -0.52, P < 0.00001, respectively. PDE5-Is appear to improve IPSS storage, voiding and QoL subscore (mean difference = -0.71, -1.23 and -0.33, P < 0.00001, respectively). Although four doses of tadalafil (2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg) failed to reach significance in Qmax (mean difference = 0.22, P = 0.10), the 5 mg dose of tadalafil significantly improved the Qmax (mean difference = 0.33, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: PED5-Is demonstrated efficacy for improving LUTS in BPH patients with or without ED and could be considered to be the first line treatment for LUTS/BPH.