Botox Injections to Avoid Impotence

Prostate enlargement is perhaps the greatest risk for aging men. Over 50 % of all men over the age of 60 and 80 % of those over 80 will experience it.

40- 50 % will suffer from the nasty symptoms, such as more frequent urination, urinary tract infections, the inability to completely empty the bladder and, when the disease becomes worse, the bladder and kidneys can be hurt.

"Millions of men in the United States suffer from enlarged prostate. It's a challenging disease to live with because it causes frequent and difficult urination. Unfortunately, common treatments also are problematic because they carry some risk of serious side effects, such as impotence." said Dr. Michael B. Chancellor, professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

His team, collaborating with researchers at the Chang Gung University Medical College, Taiwan, has found that injections with Botox (botulinum toxin A) into the prostate of men with prostate cancer diminished symptoms, with great impact in life quality, up to a year after the procedure.

"Our results are encouraging because they indicate that Botox could represent a simple, safe and effective treatment for enlarged prostate that has long-term benefits." said Chancellor.

The research was made on 37 volunteers with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which did not respond to standard medical treatment. When the volunteers were checked one year after receiving injections of Botox directly into their prostate, 27 (73 %) still displayed a 30 % improvement in urinary tract symptoms, without any severe side effects, like stress urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction (impotence).

"Botox reduces the size of the prostate gland through a cellular process called apoptosis, in which the prostate cells die in a programmed manner." said Dr. Yao-Chi Chuang, from Chang Gung University Medical College.

The size decrease eases the urine flow, diminishing residual urine persisting in the bladder.