IngentaConnect -adrenoceptor blocking drugs and female urinary incontinence: pre...

Authors: MARSHALL, H. J.¹; BEEVERS, D. G.¹

Source: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Volume 42, Number 4, October 1996 , pp. 507-509(3)

Abstract:

There have been occasional reports of female stress incontinence related to prazosin therapy for hypertension. This drug is now rarely used but recently longer acting α-adrenoceptor blocking drugs have been introduced. We have, therefore, investigated the prevalence of urinary incontinence in all our female patients who were receiving α-adrenoceptor blockers in comparison with women, matched for age and parity who were receiving other drugs. We identified a total of 49 women taking α-adrenoceptor blocking drugs (prazosin 4, terazosin 5, doxazosin 40) among current patients who were attending our hypertension clinic. Twenty of these (40.8%) reported some urinary incontinence whereas in the control patients, only 8 (16.3%) had this symptom (P=<0.02, relative risk 2.5, 95% CI 1.22-5.13). α-Adrenoceptor blockers were withdrawn in 18 of the 20 patients with incontinence and in 13, their symptoms abated. Our results suggest that there is a significantly higher prevalence of urinary incontinence in women taking α-adrenoceptor antagonists with reversibility on withdrawal of these drugs. As both female urinary incontinence, hypertension and the use of α-adrenoceptor blocking drugs are common, this distressing side effect should be borne in mind so that gynaecological or urological treatment may be avoided in some women.

Keywords: α-adrenoceptor blocking drugs; hypertension; urinary incontinence

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2125.1996.45217.x

Affiliations: 1: University Department of Medicine, City Hospital, Birmingham, UK

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α-adrenoceptor blocking drugs and female urinary incontinence: prevalence and reversibility