- Injecting ethanol directly into the prostate could shrink it by more than a third
- And it reduces how often men need to get up in the night to urinate
- One expert said the pioneering treatment is ‘excellent news’
- Researchers in Venezuela have trialled the therapy on 60 middle-aged men
Injecting alcohol directly into the prostate gland could shrink it and avoid the need for men to get up in the night to urinate, a study has claimed.
Ethanol jabs through the rectum shrink the prostate by more than a third and relieve pressure on the bladder and penis.
Doctors said the development is ‘excellent news’ and believe it could be as effective as treatments already used by the NHS.
Millions of men in the UK and the US have enlarged prostates and have trouble urinating as a result.
Researchers from University Hospital Caracas in Venezuela found injecting pure alcohol(ethanol) into a man’s prostate could shrink it by 35 per cent and reduce urination
Researchers from University Hospital Caracas in Venezuela found the injection – for which they used a 25cm needle – could shrink swollen prostates as well as drugs.
And it reduced their needs for night-time toilet visits by almost half, The Sunreported.
If someone’s prostate is swollen it can put pressure on the bladder, increasing the need to urinate, while also blocking the urethra so making it more difficult.
The condition is called benign prostate enlargement and affects the semen-producing gland which is located inside the pelvis between the penis and bladder.
‘The reduction in the size of the prostate with ethanol was significant,’ said lead researcher and urology specialist Alessandri Rafael Espinoza.
‘Ethanol injection can be an effective, non-surgical alternative in treatment of patients with [an enlarged prostate].’
The scientists tested the therapy on 60 middle-aged men by injecting nine shots of pure alcohol – ethanol – directly into their prostates through the rectum.
Their prostates were around 35 per cent smaller on average.
Doctors suggest this reduction is caused by the alcohol killing off unwanted cells, shrinking any swelling.
And the men suffered from 48 per cent fewer symptoms, which can include difficulty urinating and needing the toilet frequently.
There were no severe side-effects of the jab, whereas some currently-used drugs can reduce men’s sex drives.
Around half of over-50s – two million men in the UK – have enlarged prostates and some 45,000 have surgery every year to treat the condition.
At least 14million men in the US are thought to have enlarged prostates.
It is not thought to increase the risk of prostate cancer but can be painful and, in some cases, lead to impotence or reduced fertility.
‘It looks to be a very promising treatment,’ Professor Raj Persard, of Bristol Urology Associates, told The Sun. He was not involved with the research.
‘Because of difficulties and complications with standard prostate surgery, we have looked at a wide range of treatments … But none of these is a perfect solution and the search goes on.
‘Alcohol injection seems to provide good results in “unblocking” the bladder and improving quality of life, and these new results are comparable if not better than other treatments which is excellent news.’
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