Beware ! Some medicines for prostate hypertrophy increase risk of Diabetes: BMJ

The researchers using a U.K. primary care database, identified over 39,000 patients prescribed 5α-reductase inhibitors and 16,000 prescribed tamsulosin.

In the CPRD, 2081 new onset type 2 diabetes events (368 dutasteride, 1207 finasteride, and 506 tamsulosin) were recorded during a mean follow-up time of 5.2 years (SD 3.1 years

During 5 years' follow-up, the rate of new diabetes diagnosis was roughly 76 per 10,000 person-years with dutasteride or finasteride, compared with 60 per 10,000 with tamsulosin. After multivariable adjustment, each 5α-reductase inhibitor was associated with about a 30% increased risk for diabetes relative to tamsulosin.

The researchers note that previous studies have shown that dutasteride can induce insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. They concluded that the risk of developing new onset type 2 diabetes appears to be higher in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia exposed to 5α-reductase inhibitors than in men receiving tamsulosin, but did not differ between men receiving dutasteride and those receiving finasteride. Additional monitoring might be required for men starting these drugs, particularly in those with other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1204