Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34747724›Full record

SynthesisAsian journal of andrology

Sexual, physical, and overall adverse effects in patients treated with 5α-reductase inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Jun-Jie Zhang, Xiao Shi, Ting Wu, Meng-Da Zhang, Jin Tang, Guang-Ming Yin, Zhi Long, Le-Ye He, Lin Qi, Long Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Asian journal of andrology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Post-finasteride syndrome - a true clinical entity?International journal of impotence research · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jun-Jie ZhangDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Xiao ShiDepartment of Gastroenterology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Ting WuDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Meng-Da ZhangDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Jin TangDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Guang-Ming YinDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Zhi LongDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Le-Ye HeDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Lin QiDepartment of Urology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Long WangDepartment of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Central South University · CNXiangya Hospital Central South University · CNThird Xiangya Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Postfinasteride syndrome (PFS) is a term coined to characterize a constellation of reported undesirable sexual, physical, and neuropsychiatric side effects. In the present study, we conducted the meta-analysis to demonstrate whether the use of 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) increases the risk of PFS-like adverse effects. A search of studies published until May 10, 2020, was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. We included randomized controlled trials with at least one comparison between male patients receiving 5ARIs versus placebo for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or androgenetic alopecia (AGA), and identified 34 studies from 28 articles that met our eligibility criteria. In the random-effects model, the overall use of 5ARIs exhibited a 1.87-fold risk of PFS-like adverse effects during the trial (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.64-2.14). Regarding specific types of adverse effects, the use of 5ARIs had a 1.89-fold risk of sexual adverse effects (95% CI: 1.74-2.05) and was associated with an increased risk of physical adverse effects (relative risk [RR]: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.80-2.15), albeit without statistical significance. This meta-analysis helped to better define the adverse effects caused by 5ARIs. We concluded that the overall use of 5ARIs significantly increased the risk of PFS-like adverse effects in men with AGA or BPH during treatment. Enhanced awareness of and education on the PFS-like adverse effects are necessary for clinicians.

Indexed as

5-alpha Reductase InhibitorsProstatic HyperplasiaHumansMaleOxidoreductasesSexual Behavior5-alpha Reductase InhibitorsOxidoreductases5α-reductase inhibitorsadverse effectsandrogenetic alopeciabenign prostatic hyperplasiapostfinasteride syndrome

Identifiers

PMID34747724
PMCPMC9295476
OpenAlexW3209499625

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.