Abstract

Prostatitis is a common medical diagnosis. The etiology of this symptomatic syndrome can be an acute or chronic bacterial infection, a noninfectious initiator, or iatrogenic heat or radiation. Alpha-blocker therapy has been advocated, with various levels of evidence, as a treatment modality for all categories of the prostatitis syndromes. From a pharmacological standpoint, the alpha blockers used in urology are not interchangeable. These drugs may work by different mechanisms and with different efficacy in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia and in those with symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS). This article reviews the rationale for alpha blockers in patients with CP/CPPS.

• Keywords: Chronic prostatitis, Alpha blocker