Botox May Ease Symptoms of Enlarged Prostate
Botox may help ease urinary symptoms caused by noncancerous enlarged prostates.
The findings were presented in Montreal at the International Continence Society’s annual meeting.
As men age, it’s very common for the prostate gland to get bigger. The condition, called BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is usually harmless, but it can interfere with urination.
“Most men consider an enlarged prostate and the irritating symptoms that accompany it as an inevitability of aging and may not seek help because currently available therapies can have serious side effects, including impotence,” says University of Pittsburgh urology professor Michael Chancellor, MD, in a news release.
Chancellor worked on the Botox experiment with colleagues from his university and from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
“Alternative treatments are needed,” continues Chancellor. “We’ve taken an important step by demonstrating how Botox can work as a potential new therapy for the large number of men who suffer from this condition.”
Botox may be most familiar to many people for smoothing out wrinkles. However, it’s also approved to treat an eye disorder called strabismus and painful neck and shoulder contractions. It works by causing a local and temporary paralysis of muscles.
Botox is the brand name of botulinum toxin type A. It’s made from a very small dose of the deadly toxin.
Reference - WebMD, Medical News Today
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