Injection of botulinum toxin A, or Botox, into the prostate gland of men with Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or commonly called enlarged prostate, resulted to eased symptoms and improved quality of life.

This study was done by a research team from Chang Gung University Medical College, Taiwan and the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. Their results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Atlanta and published in abstract 1436 in the AUA proceedings.

"Millions of men in the United States suffer from enlarged prostate," said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "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.

Our results are encouraging because they indicate that Botox could represent a simple, safe and effective treatment for enlarged prostate."

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