Efficacy of Combined Amlodipine/Terazosin Therapy in Male Hypertensive Patients With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Randomized, Double-blind Clinical Trial

Are blood vessels a target to treat lower urinary tract dysfunction?

Bladder dysfunction is common in the general population (Stewart et al. 2010) and even more so among patients seeing a physician for any reason (Goepel et al. 2002). It often manifests as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), a term originally coined to describe voiding and storage symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) but now more universally used to describe any type of voiding and storage symptoms in both sexes. Studies into possible causes of urinary bladder dysfunction have long focused on detrusor smooth muscle cells (Turner and Brading 1999). More recently, it became clear that several other types of cells and organs contribute to regulating detrusor smooth muscle function. These include the urothelium (Andersson and McCloskey 2014; Michel 2015), afferent nerves (Michel and Igawa 2015; Yoshimura et al. 2014b), and the central and autonomic nervous systems (Fowler and Griffiths 2010; Yoshimura et al. 2014a). Alterations in any of these may at least partly be responsible for detrusor dysfunction and, accordingly, be potential targets for the treatment of bladder dysfunction. As highlighted by an article in this issue of Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology (Bayrak et al. 2015), there is an additional suspect, the bladder vasculature. This article will discuss the currently available experimental and clinical evidence for a role of the vasculature in causing bladder dysfunction, and how existing and emerging treatments may modulate bladder function by acting on blood vessels. Due to a similarity in concept, data on prostate perfusion will also be discussed to some extent.

The role of alpha blockers prior to removal of urethral catheter for acute urinary retention in men

BACKGROUND

Acute urinary retention is a urological emergency in men and requires urgent catheterisation. Any intervention which aims at improving urinary symptoms following an acute urinary retention episode could be potentially beneficial. Alpha blockers relax prostatic smooth muscle cells thereby decreasing the resistance to urinary flow and by doing so could improve urinary symptoms.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness of alpha blockers on successful resumption of micturition following removal of a urethral urinary catheter after an episode of acute urinary retention in men. In the absence of internationally agreed outcome measures for the success of a trial without catheter, success was defined as the return to satisfactory voiding without need for re-catheterisation within 24 hours.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group Specialised Trials Register, which contains trials identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, MEDLINE in process, and handsearching of journals and conference proceedings (searched 9 October 2013), CENTRAL (2013, Issue 5) (searched 5 June 2013), MEDLINE 1946 to May Week 4 2013, MEDLINE in Process (covering to 3 June 2013), EMBASE Classic and EMBASE 1947 to 2013 Week 22 (all searched 4 June 2013) and the reference lists of relevant articles. No language or other restrictions were imposed on the searches.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Only randomised and quasi-randomised clinical trials of alpha blockers for trial without a urethral catheter following an episode of acute urinary retention in men were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently examined all the citations and abstracts derived from the search strategy. Any disagreement about trial selection and inclusion was resolved by discussion. A third independent judgement was sought where disagreement persisted. Two review authors extracted independently, cross-checked and processed the data as described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention. Quality of evidence of the critical outcomes was assessed by adopting the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

Nine randomised clinical trials were included in this review. Eight trials compared alpha blockers versus placebo (five trials tested alfuzosin and two trials tested tamsulosin, one trial tested both alfuzosin and tamsulosin, one trial tested silodosin) and one trial compared an alpha blocker (doxazosin) versus no treatment. Trial without catheter was performed after treatment with the drug for one to three days in seven trials and for eight and 32 days in two other trials respectively. There was moderate quality evidence to suggest that the rate of successful trial without catheter favoured alpha blockers over placebo ( 366/608, 60.2%, of men using an alpha blocker were able to void spontaneously after catheter removal compared with 185/486, 38.1%, using placebo, risk ratio (RR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36 to 1.76). The incidence of recurrent acute urinary retention was lower in groups treated with an alpha blocker (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.79). This evidence was of moderate quality and was statistically significant for alfuzosin, tamsulosin and silodosin, though not for doxazosin. Of the trials mentioning adverse effects (for example, postural hypotension, dizziness), there was not enough information to detect statistically significant differences between the groups (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.89) and the evidence was of low quality. Overall, adverse effect rates were low for both placebo and alpha blockers and, for example, vasodilatation-related adverse effects did not often result in discontinuation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There was some evidence to suggest that alpha blockers increase the success rates of trial without catheter, and the incidence of adverse effects was low. There was some evidence of a decreased incidence of acute urinary retention. The need for further surgery, cost effectiveness and recommended duration of alpha blocker treatment after successful trial without catheter remain unknown as these were not reported by any trial. There is a lack of internationally agreed outcome measures for what constitutes successful trial without catheter. This makes meta-analysis difficult. Large, well-designed controlled trials, which use the recommendations set out in the CONSORT statement, and include clinically important outcome measures, are required.

Predicting Hyperhomocysteinemia by Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T Polymorphism in Chinese Patients With Hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the performance of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism in predicting hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) in Chinese patients with hypertension.

METHODS

We measured plasma total homocysteine tHcy level and C677T genotype in 1058 Chinese patients with hypertension from 4 previous studies. We used 10, 15, and 20 μmol/L as cutoff values for the definition of mild, modest, and severe HHcy, respectively. Logistic models for HHcy were built from the study sample using the C677T genotype as well as age and gender as predictors. The receiver-operating characteristics of the models were evaluated.

RESULTS

Our major findings are that (1) C677T TT genotype is consistently associated with a higher tHcy across the 4 studies, with an increase in size ranging from 38% to 68% in the 4 studies and 51% overall. The C677T polymorphism independently explained about 14% of the total variance of the normalized tHcy. (2) The TT genotype is associated with a large increase in odds ratio (OR) for HHcy. Overall, the multivariate-adjusted ORs for the TT genotype are 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4-6.4), 6.5 (95% CI: 4.0-10.6), and 17.9 (95% CI: 8.4-38.1) for mild, modest, and severe HHcy, respectively. (3) Overall, the predicting performance increased with HHcy severity, with sensitivity improving from 31.0% for mild HHcy to 70.3% for severe HHcy, and with specificity slightly decreasing from 85.4% to 80.3%. Inclusion of gender and age as predictors significantly improves the sensitivity, especially for predicting mild HHcy.

CONCLUSION

With an excellent sensitivity and a modest specificity, C677T could be a useful screening marker for severe HHcy.

Systematic review of combination drug therapy for non-neurogenic male lower urinary tract symptoms

BACKGROUND

Several drugs are approved for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, but these are mostly used by clinicians as monotherapies. The combination of different compounds, each of which targets a different aspect of LUTS, seems appealing. However, only few clinical trials have evaluated the effects of combination therapies.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review analyzes the efficacy and adverse events of combination therapies for male LUTS.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

PubMed and Cochrane databases were used to identify clinical trials and meta-analyses on male LUTS combination therapy. The search was restricted to studies of level of evidence ≥ 1b. A total of 49 papers published between January 1988 and March 2012 were identified.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

The α1-adrenoceptor antagonist (α1-blocker)/5α-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) combination provides the most data. This combination seems to be more efficacious in terms of several outcome variables in patients whose prostate volume is between 30 ml and 40 ml when treatment is maintained for >1 yr; when given for <1 yr, α1-blockers alone are just as effective. The combination of α1-blocker/5-ARI shows a slightly increased rate of adverse events. It remains unknown whether its safety and superiority over either drug as monotherapy are sustained after >6 yr. The α1-blocker/muscarinic receptor antagonist (antimuscarinic) combination was most frequently assessed as an add-on therapy to already existing α1-blocker therapy. Inconsistent data derive from heterogeneous study populations and different study designs. Currently, the α1-blocker/antimuscarinic combination appears to be a second-line add-on for patients with insufficient symptom relief after monotherapy. The combination seems to be safe in men with postvoid residual <200 ml. However, there are no trials >4 mo concerning safety and efficacy of this combination. The α1-blocker/phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor combination is a new treatment option with only preliminary reports. More studies are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

CONCLUSIONS

An α1-blocker/5-ARI combination is beneficial for patients whose prostate volume is between 30 ml and 40 ml when medical treatment is intended for >1 yr. Based on short-term follow-up studies, add-on of antimuscarinics to α1-blockers is an option when postvoid residual is <200 ml.

Overactive bladder in males

The prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms is considerable in both men and women and the impact on quality of life (QOL) is equally substantial. Ironically, despite nearly equal prevalence, OAB symptoms in men are infrequently treated, and often with medical therapies aimed at bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). In this review, we examine the pathophysiology of OAB and its evaluation in the context of benign prostatic hypertrophy and concomitant BOO. We then consider the efficacy and safety of individual therapeutic options for lower urinary tract symptoms in men, focusing on the mainstays of medical therapy: α-adrenergic blockers, 5-α reductase inhibitors, and antimuscarinic agents. Finally, we aim to comment on new therapeutic strategies and targets that may one day be available for the treatment of male OAB.

Commonly used antihypertensives and lower urinary tract symptoms: results from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey

Study Type - Prevalence (inception cohort) Level of Evidence 1b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Certain antihypertensives, particularly diuretics and calcium channel blockers, are known to be associated with increased risk of LUTS including nocturia, but little is known about gender-specific effects. This is the first epidemiological study, to our knowledge, to compare the prevalence of several urological symptoms (storage, voiding and nocturia) among male and female users of a wide variety of common antihypertensives using a community-based sample.

OBJECTIVE

To examine differences in the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) among users of five common AHT classes compared with non-users, adjusted for LUTS risk factors in a large, representative sample.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Data were from the Boston Area Community Health Survey, a population-based study of community-dwelling male and female (30-79 years) residents of Boston, MA, USA for whom prescription drug information was collected between 2002 and 2005. The urological symptoms of storage, voiding, and nocturia were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaires and the American Urological Association Symptom Index. This analysis was conducted among 1865 participants with an AHT indication. Associations of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and loop and thiazide diuretics with the three groups of LUTS were estimated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from multivariate logistic regression (referent group: untreated hypertension). Overlap in use was accounted for using monotherapy and combination therapy exposure categories.

RESULTS

Among women, monotherapy with CCBs was associated with increased prevalence of nocturia (OR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.04-6.74) and voiding symptoms (OR = 3.84, 95% CI: 1.24-11.87); these results were confined to women aged <55 years. Among men of all ages, positive associations were observed for thiazides and voiding symptoms (monotherapy OR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.17-7.19), and loop diuretics and nocturia (combination therapy OR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.26-5.14).

CONCLUSION

Results are consistent with the hypothesis that certain AHTs may aggravate LUTS. The presence of new or worsening LUTS among AHT users suggests medications should be reviewed and a change in AHT class considered.