Open AccessTwelve‐month medication persistence in men with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Author(s) -
Koh J. S.,
Cho K. J.,
Kim H. S.,
Kim J. C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/ijcp.12241
Subject(s) - medicine , lower urinary tract symptoms , discontinuation , persistence (discontinuity) , adverse effect , logistic regression , 5 alpha reductase inhibitor , finasteride , prostate , geotechnical engineering , cancer , engineering
Summary Aims This study aimed to assess patients' baseline characteristics and provider factors influencing the continuation of medication for 12 months in patients who were newly diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH ). Methods This study was conducted in patients with newly diagnosed lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS )/ BPH (age ≥ 40) who received either one or a combination of the two pharmacological classes of drugs (alpha‐blockers or 5‐alpha‐reductase inhibitors) from January 2008 to January 2010. Patient demographics and clinical data were assessed from the electronic patient records and telephone surveys. Persistence was defined as continuation of all BPH medications prescribed at the start of the first treatment. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between 12‐month persistence and patient or provider factors. Results Of the 789 newly diagnosed LUTS / BPH patients, 670 (84.9%) were included in the study. Twelve‐month persistence for LUTS / BPH medication was 36.6%. Independent predictors of 12‐month medication persistence included larger prostate volume, higher prostate specific antigen, having an adequate income and a good patient–doctor relationship. Important reasons for discontinuation were resolved symptoms (31.1%), no improvement in symptoms (23.7%) and adverse events (20.0%). Conclusions About two‐thirds of newly diagnosed LUTS / BPH patients discontinued medications within 1 year of starting treatment. We found several potential patient and provider factors associated with persistence, which could be exploited to increase continuation of treatment in future clinical settings.