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Saw Palmetto Extract in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00037154
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : May 17, 2002
Last Update Posted : January 14, 2010
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Information provided by:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Brief Summary:
The purpose of this study is to test whether an extract of the saw palmetto plant is effective for relieving symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Drug: Saw Palmetto Phase 3

Detailed Description:
This proposal describes a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of the effect of saw palmetto extract on symptoms, objective parameters of disease severity, and quality of life in men with moderate-to-severe benign prostatic hyperplasia. BPH, one of the most common morbid medical conditions in middle-aged and elderly men, is generally treated with alpha-adrenergic blocking agents, finasteride, surgical interventions, or no specific therapy ("watchful waiting"). In the past several years, however, many patients have begun to self-medicate with an extract of the saw palmetto plant (Serenoa repens), a medicinal herb grown in the southeastern United States. Saw palmetto has become the fifth leading medicinal herb consumed in the U.S. and is considered first-line therapy for BPH in several Western European countries. Several small studies suggest that saw palmetto may have clinical benefit, but the methodologic quality of most prior studies has been poor. Very few side effects of the herb have been observed, but few studies have been conducted for more than three months. We propose to conduct a high-quality clinical trial of saw palmetto, with careful attention to the methodologic deficiencies of prior studies. After a single-blind placebo run-in period, 224 patients with mode moderate-to-severe BPH (American Urological Association Symptom Index score greater than or equal to 8) and objective measurement of urinary obstruction, will be randomized to receive either 160mg BID of the herbal extract or an identical placebo. Patients will discontinue any other medical therapy for BPH prior to enrollment and all participants will undergo a trans-rectal ultrasound examination at baseline and closeout. Participants in the trial will be seen at 3-month intervals for a total one-year follow-up. Outcome measurements include changes in the AUASI score (the primary outcome measurement), the peak urinary flow rate, the post-void residual urine volume, the BPH Impact Index, the Olmstead County Study Questionnaire of BPH-specific symptoms and quality of life, and the Short-Form 36 (a generic health status instrument). Numerous laboratory parameters will measured at intervals throughout the trial and symptomatic side effects will be assessed.

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Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Enrollment : 224 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Saw Palmetto Extract In Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Study Start Date : August 1999
Study Completion Date : December 2002

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Information from the National Library of Medicine

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Ages Eligible for Study:   50 Years and older   (Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   Male
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Participants must be men, aged 50 years or older with moderate-to-severe BPH.
  • Participants must not have a history of prostate cancer, prior surgery on the prostate, kidney failure, or taking furosemide (Lasix), warfarin (Coumadin), or hormone medications. Individuals taking medicine for their BPH must stop them for one month (prazosin, terazosin (Hytrin), doxazosin (Cardura), tamsulosin (Flomax)) or six months (saw palmetto, finasteride (Proscar or Rogaine)) prior to entering the study.

Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00037154


Locations
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United States, California
Northern California Kaiser Permanente
Oakland, California, United States, 94611
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
San Francisco, California, United States, 94121
Sponsors and Collaborators
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Investigators
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Principal Investigator: Andrew Avins, MD, MPH Northern California Kaiser Permanente; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Study Director: Stephen Bent, MD University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Publications of Results:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00037154    
Other Study ID Numbers: 5 R01 DK056199 (completed)
First Posted: May 17, 2002    Key Record Dates
Last Update Posted: January 14, 2010
Last Verified: January 2010
Keywords provided by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK):
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Herbal Therapies
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Men's Health
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
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Prostatic Hyperplasia
Hyperplasia
Pathologic Processes
Prostatic Diseases
Genital Diseases, Male
Genital Diseases
Urogenital Diseases
Male Urogenital Diseases
Saw palmetto extract
Urological Agents