5α-reductase inhibitors and type II diabetes

An international study has recently investigated the incidence of new onset type 2 diabetes mellitus amongst men treated with dutasteride, finasteride or tamsulosin for long term treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The subjects received dutasteride (n=8231), finasteride (n=30 774), or tamsulosin (n=16 270). The outcome measure was incident cases of type 2 diabetes using a Cox proportional hazard model. The risk of developing new onset type 2 diabetes appears to be higher for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia who are treated with 5α-reductase inhibitors than that for men receiving tamsulosin, but did not differ between men receiving dutasteride and those receiving finasteride. The researchers suggest extra monitoring, particularly for men other risk factors for diabetes. Read the full study here