Observational studyPloS one2019
Symptom improvement and predictors associated with improvement after 6 weeks of alpha-blocker therapy: An exploratory, single-arm, open-label cohort study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Increased Risk of Recurrent Ischemic Stroke in Male Patients Taking Medications for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesClinicians should not only know how many patients will benefit from alpha-blocker therapy but should also be able to identify who will benefit. We studied the changes in patient symptoms following alpha-blocker therapy and the predictors of symptom improvement in clinical practice.
designThis was a single-arm, open-label observational cohort study with a 6-week follow-up.
settingTwenty-two pharmacies in the Netherlands.
participantsPatients were eligible for inclusion if they attended a pharmacy with a new prescription for an alpha-blocker from a general practitioner or urologist. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Outcomes were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Questionnaire Short Form (OAB-q SF), and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I). Demographic, disease-related, and drug-related information were collected to identify predictors of symptom improvement. These predictors were then assessed by logistic and linear regression analyses of both the original data set and an imputed data set that accounted for the missing variables.
resultsDuring the study, 37% of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms perceived clear symptomatic improvement based on the results of the PGI-I. Improvement was more likely in those who still used alpha-blockers at the end of the 6-week study period and in those who used multiple medications. Although symptom scores decreased significantly on the IPSS and OAB-q SF, the only predictor of change was the pretreatment symptom severity.
conclusionsApproximately one-third of our cohort perceived symptom improvement on alpha-blocker therapy. However, we identified no clear predictors of who might benefit from alpha-blocker treatment, indicating that alpha-blockers should still be prescribed on a trial basis.
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