ASSOCIATION OF THE TREATMENT WITH 5 ALPHA-REDUCTASE INHIBITORS WITH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF PATIENTS WITH BENIGN PROSTATE HYPERPLASIA
Keywords:
benign prostatic hyperplasia, side effects, psychological well-beingAbstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is defined as a disorder, which has different ways of treatment depending on
the symptomatology, the response to drug therapy, and the occurrence of complications. Pharmacological treatment
of benign prostatic hyperplasia involves the use of mainly two groups of drugs: alpha 1 blockers and 5 alphareductase
inhibitors (5ARIs). Side effects commonly occur during treatment with 5ARIs such as erectile
dysfunction, decreased libido, and deterioration of psychological well-being. This paper aims to determine the
association between DHEAS deficiency and the occurrence of side effects of 5ARI therapy that relate to the
psychological well-being of patients with BPH. The analysis included 250 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia
(BPH), of whom 130 were treated with an alpha 1 blocker, while 120 patients were treated with a combination of
tamsulosin and 5ARIs. The evaluation was conducted through questionnaires: IPSS (International Prostate Scoring
System) to quantify BPH symptoms and PhQ-9 questionnaire for self-evaluation of depressive symptoms. The
results showed that impaired psychological well-being occurred in 26 patients (22.5%) in the study group after 6-
and 12-month therapy, which was statistically significant in this group (p<0.05). In these patients, there were also
initially reduced serum values of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) (p<0.05). In this analysis, we concluded
that the occurrence of impaired psychological well-being in patients treated with 5ARIs correlates with initially
lower serum values of DHEAS before the start of therapy, which should be taken into account when using these
medications.
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