What to choose – baldness or impotence?
According to data obtained by researchers at Northwestern University working under the guidance of Dr. Steven Belknap, prolonged use of finasteride and dutasteride increases the risk of men developing persistent erectile dysfunction, in some cases persisting for several months or even years. Moreover, the revealed association is much stronger than the relationship between the risk of developing persistent erectile dysfunction and other known risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension and smoking.
Finasteride and dutasteride are blockers of male sex hormones that prevent the conversion of testosterone into its more active form – 5-alpha-dihydrosterone. These drugs are prescribed for the treatment of androgenic alopecia (baldness) and symptomatic therapy of prostatic hyperplasia.
Previously, researchers did not have convincing data that finasteride and dutasteride can cause persistent disorders of sexual function that persist after discontinuation of their use. There was also no evidence that prolonged use of these drugs increases the risk of developing such problems.
The authors analyzed data for 11,909 men aged 16 to 89 years who took finasteride, dutasteride or combination medications. 167 (1.4%) men on the background of taking these drugs developed persistent erectile dysfunction for the first time, on average (median) persisting for 1,348 days after discontinuation of drugs.
For young men under the age of 42 who took finasteride or dutasteride for more than 205 days, the risk of developing persistent erectile dysfunction was 4.9 times higher than for men who underwent shorter courses of drugs.
Erectile dysfunction is the inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient to perform sexual intercourse. Erectile dysfunction was considered persistent in cases when it persisted after discontinuation of medication and did not disappear against the background of taking sildenafil (viagra) or similar drugs.
The authors note that doctors prescribing finasteride and dutasteride as a remedy for hair loss and symptomatic treatment of prostatic hyperplasia should pay close attention to the pattern they have uncovered.
Article by Tina Kiguradze et al. Persistent erectile dysfunction in men exposed to the 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, finasteride, or dutasteride is published in the journal PeerJ.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on materials from Northwestern University: Hair loss and prostate drugs linked to persistent erectile dysfunction in men.
21.03.2017