Falsetti, L., & Gambera, A. (1999). Comparison of finasteride and flutamide in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism. Fertility and Sterility, 72(1), 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00183-1
Falsetti L, Gambera A. Comparison of finasteride and flutamide in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism. Fertil Steril. 1999;72(1):41-46. doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00183-1
Falsetti, Leopoldo, and Alessandro Gambera. "Comparison of finasteride and flutamide in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism." Fertility and Sterility, vol. 72, no. 1, 1999, pp. 41-46.
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To compare the effectiveness of finasteride and flutamide in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism.
Design
Randomized study.
Setting
Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, University of Brescia, Italy.
Patients
Forty-six women with idiopathic hirsutism were selected.
Interventions
Patients were assigned randomly to receive 5 mg of finasteride once daily or 250 mg of flutamide twice daily for 12 consecutive months.
Main Outcome Measures
Hirsutism was evaluated at 6 and 12 months of therapy by measuring the Ferriman-Gallwey score and the terminal-hair diameters (microm) taken from different body areas. Blood samples were taken and side effects were monitored during the treatment.
Results
Both finasteride and flutamide induced a statistically significant decrease in hirsutism scores and hair diameters at the end of 12 months. Finasteride reduced the Ferriman-Gallwey score by 20.5% at 6 months and by 34.2% at 12 months, and hair diameter by 18.9%-23.6% at 6 months and by 29.6%-37.9% at 12 months. Flutamide reduced the Ferriman-Gallwey score by 26.6% at 6 months and by 50.9% at 12 months, and hair diameter by 22.3%-28.2% at 6 months and by 47.7%-56.5% at 12 months. Flutamide did not induce hormonal variations, whereas finasteride increased T levels by 60% and decreased 3alpha-androstanediol glucuronide by 69.5% at 12 months.
Conclusions
Both drugs were effective in the treatment of idiopathic hirsutism, but flutamide was more effective than finasteride.