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Prostate Drugs May Raise Diabetes Risk

Proscar and Avodart, prescribed for an enlarged prostate, were tied to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Two commonly used drugs for treating an enlarged prostate may increase the risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Benign prostate hypertrophy, or B.P.H., may cause difficulty in urinating or increased frequency and urgency of urination. A study published in BMJ examined the use of two similar drugs often prescribed for the condition, finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart), in 39,000 men. As controls, the 11-year study used 16,000 men taking tamsulosin (Flomax), a different type of drug for B.P.H.

Compared with those using Flomax, men using Avodart had a 32 percent increased risk for developing diabetes, and those using Proscar a 26 percent increased risk. The study carefully controlled for body mass index, other drug use, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension and other health and behavioral characteristics.

The lead author, Li Wei, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy of University College London, said that the risk is modest — an extra 16 cases for every 1,000 men treated over 10 years — but nevertheless significant as a public health matter.

“We don’t want anyone to suddenly change their drug,” she said. “But you need to discuss it with a physician, especially if you are already at high risk for diabetes. You have to look at the overall picture of your condition in order to make a decision” about the best course of treatment.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section D, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: Men: Prostate Drugs and Diabetes. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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