Efficacy of tadalafil treatment on erectile dysfunction in patients under dutasteride treatment: A prospective non-randomized comparative study

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tadalafil in the management of erectile dysfunction in patients under dutasteride medication for bladder outlet obstruction. Material and methods: In this study the data of consecutive patients that admitted to our outpatient clinics treated with dutasteride for bladder outlet obstruction and tadalafil (10 or 20 mg on demand) for concomitant complaint of erectile dysfunction (ED) between October 2013 and March 2016 were evaluated. An age-matched control group of patients treated with tadalafil for ED but did not receive any other medication for either lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or ED was also included. Groups were compared for tadalafil efficacy with International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores. Results: Each one of the dutasteride and control groups included 104 patients. The groups were similar for pretreatment IIEF score, serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride and testosterone measurements. The number of hypertensive patients was comparable between two groups but the number of diabetic patients were significantly higher in the control group. IIEF score improved significantly in both groups following tadalafil treatment but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Tadalafil treatment provides significant improvement in erectile functions of patients under dutasteride treatment for bladder outlet obstruction. However, the current study does not focus on a population of dutasteride induced ED and therefore a further prospective study on this issue would be helpful.