Painkiller drugs can help prevent enlarged prostate, says study
Posted on : 2006-08-30 | Author : Jack Myers

NEW YORK: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen
can delay or even prevent the condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia,
or enlarged prostate gland, according to new research at the Mayo Clinic at
Rochester, Minnesota.

The study, released Wednesday, said the risk of developing the condition,
which can lead to problems in urination, fell in patients taking such drugs.

The finding is significant as the condition is found to afflict one in four
males aged 40 to 50 and almost half at 70 to 80.

The study suggests that men's urinary health may be improved by taking
NSAIDs, said Michael Lieber, an urologist at Mayo Clinic and study
investigator. The scientists found that the risk of developing an enlarged
prostate was 50 per cent lower in people who use NSAID compared to non-users
and the risk of developing moderate to severe urinary symptoms was 35 per
cent lower.

The researchers feel the NSAIDs could be directly decreasing the growth of
the cells of the prostate by killing them or they may be decreasing
inflammation throughout the urinary tract, which would result in a reduction
of symptoms.

Prostate gland is just as large as a walnut when healthy. When enlarged, it
can be as big as a peach and press the urethra, which carries urine for
excretion.

The lead investigator of the study and Mayo Clinic epidemiologist Jenny St.
Sauver, however, said she would not recommend that every man go out and take
aspirin, but if they are already taking it regularly for other reasons, the
findings suggest there is another benefit as well.

The scientists felt there is need for further research to determine the best
doses of NSAIDs.

The scientists had gathered data on 2,447 men in Minnesota, who completed
questionnaires every two years from 1990 to 2002. One-third of the men
studied were taking painkillers daily when they were enrolled in the study.

NSAIDs are commonly used to relieve pain in arthritis and cure inflammation
and stiffness at joints. It is also given to patients with heart conditions,
victims of stroke and people with cancer.

There are prescription drugs for prostate enlargement, like Boehringer
Ingelheim's Flomax and Merck's Proscar. Patients who do not respond to the
medicines are advised surgery, which involves scraping the core of the gland
to reduce pressure on the urethra.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/8451.html#

Details of the study are being published in the American Journal of
Epidemiology.