THURSDAY, March 11, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- The drug Flomax helps treat severe urinary dysfunction in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain (CP/CPPS), says a pilot study in the April issue of Urology.
The study also found Flomax improved quality of life scores in men with more severe symptoms. The study was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which makes the drug.
"In this study, [Flomax] was shown to significantly improve severe CP/CPPS symptoms," study author Dr. Curtis Nickel, of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, says in a prepared statement.
"The effectiveness of [Flomax] may be due to its action in relaxing the smooth muscle tissue in the neck of the bladder near the prostate," Nickel says.
Prostatitis is the most common urological condition in men under the age of 50 and the third most common urological condition in men over age 50. Symptoms include an obstructed urinary stream, frequent and unsatisfying urination at night, and significant genitourinary and pelvic pain.
While the causes of CP/CPPS are not fully understood, it's believed it may be caused by trauma, undetected infection, or some form of physiologic, immunologic or neurologic dysfunction.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about prostatitis.