Efficacy and tolerability of doxazosin gastro-intestinal therapeutic system versus tamsulosin in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists (α(1)-blockers) are first-line drugs for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Doxazosin gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) and tamsulosin belong to the 2 most frequently prescribed α(1)-blockers. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of these 2 α(1)-blockers. METHODS: A systematic review of published randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese language was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and Vip databases. After data extraction and quality assessment, the meta-analysis was performed to compare clinical parameters (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] total [IPSS-T], storage [IPSS-S], voiding [IPSS-V], maximum urine flow [Q(max)], and postvoid residual) and adverse events (AEs) that changed after first drug intake. RESULTS: After the screening, 8 eligible randomized controlled trials with 1316 patients were identified. Doxazosin-GITS showed a significantly higher efficacy compared with tamsulosin (IPSS-T P < .001, IPSS-S P < .001, and IPSS-V P < .001). There were no significant differences between the 2 drugs for changes in Q(max) (P = .477) or postvoid residual (P = .739). The overall AEs were significantly lower in the doxazosin-GITS group (risk ratio: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.54–1.08; P = .036). However, dizziness (P = .387), headache (P = .745), asthenia (P = .693), postural hypotension (P = .114), and retrograde ejaculation (P = .187) were similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that doxazosin-GITS has significantly higher efficacy and lower AEs than tamsulosin in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms/benign prostate hyperplasia.