Reply from authors re: Apostolos apostolidis. Male lower urinary tract symptoms: A riddle waiting to be solved. Eur Urol 2013;64:408-10: A rationale for combination antimuscarinic-α-blocker therapy for male lower urinary tract symptoms

摘要

We would like to thank Dr. Apostolidis for his editorial [ 1 ]. He quite correctly puts forward the treatment paradox in the field of male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), presents a nice overview of the recent achievements, and emphasises the challenges of the future. As a consequence of new insights into the pathophysiology of LUTS in males, the scientific and clinical communities accept the fact that these symptoms are not the consequence of benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is a histologic diagnosis, but rather are caused by benign prostatic obstruction or, even more generally, by bladder outlet obstruction. In recent years it was realised that men can also have primary (intrinsic) or secondary bladder problems that can cause symptoms originally attributed to the prostate and its effects on the lower urinary tract. Moreover, it was recognised that overactive bladder symptoms are prevalent in male as well as female patients. Hence antimuscarinic treatments have become accepted and applied equally in male patients with LUTS.