Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), known as an enlarged prostate, is a non-cancerous growth of the prostate that commonly occurs in men over 50. The prostate, which is located below the bladder and surrounds the first inch of the urethra (the duct through which urine and sperm are discharged), is a walnut-sized gland that secretes fluid for semen. As a man ages and the prostate gland grows, it compresses the urethra and bladder, resulting in restricted urine flow.
Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate
While most symptoms of BPH start gradually, the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination.
* Difficulty starting to urinate
* Hesitant, weak urination stream
* Blood in the urine
* Interruption of urination stream
However, the size of the prostate does not determine the severity of a man's symptoms. While some men with extremely swollen glands have little obstruction and few symptoms, others with less enlarged glands experience more blockage and greater problems.
As the urethra narrows and the bladder wall becomes thicker, the bladder itself becomes smaller causing the following symptoms:
* Bladder irritability
* Urge to urinate frequently, especially at night
* Incontinence (the inability to control urination)
Over time BPH can lead to other urinary problems, such as urinary tract infections, bladder or kidney damage and bladder stones. In some cases these symptoms could be a warning of a more serious disease and should be treated by a doctor.
Risk Factors and Preventative Measures
While age is the most common risk factor, ethnicity and genetics also play a role in the development of BPH.
* Age: BPH is rare before the age of 40, but more than half of men in their 60s and as many as 90% in their 70s and 80s have some symptoms of BPH.
* Ethnicity: While BPH is common in Europeans and Americans of European descent, it is rare in Asian men.
* Heredity: Having a family history of BPH greatly increases a man's chances of developing the condition.
Lifestyle changes can also help reduce the occurrence of BPH symptoms:
* Reduce the intake of coffee, tea and soda
* Eat an early dinner to eliminate drinking fluids later in the evening
* Cut down on fluids after 7pm
* Drink 8 glasses of water per day to help prevent accumulation of bacteria
* Avoid over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies that contain pseudoephedrine and antihistamines
* Avoid spicy and salty foods
* Stay regular (constipation may aggravate the urinary tract)
* Ejaculate regularly
* Take hot baths
* Avoid prolonged sitting
* Drink cranberry juice to increase the acidity of the urinary tract
Treatment Methods
Treatment options vary from case to case depending on the severity of the symptoms. If a patient's symptoms are mild, the usual procedure is "watchful waiting" and no pharmaceutical or surgical treatment is recommended. For moderate symptoms doctors may prescribe alpha-receptor blockers to relax the prostatic-urethral muscle or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors to help shrink the size of the prostate. In extreme cases surgery is considered the most effective treatment option after other methods have been exhausted. There are different types of surgical treatments used to improve urine flow, including transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), as well as several newer minimally invasive procedures.
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Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate
While most symptoms of BPH start gradually, the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination.
* Difficulty starting to urinate
* Hesitant, weak urination stream
* Blood in the urine
* Interruption of urination stream
However, the size of the prostate does not determine the severity of a man's symptoms. While some men with extremely swollen glands have little obstruction and few symptoms, others with less enlarged glands experience more blockage and greater problems.
As the urethra narrows and the bladder wall becomes thicker, the bladder itself becomes smaller causing the following symptoms:
* Bladder irritability
* Urge to urinate frequently, especially at night
* Incontinence (the inability to control urination)
Over time BPH can lead to other urinary problems, such as urinary tract infections, bladder or kidney damage and bladder stones. In some cases these symptoms could be a warning of a more serious disease and should be treated by a doctor.
Risk Factors and Preventative Measures
While age is the most common risk factor, ethnicity and genetics also play a role in the development of BPH.
* Age: BPH is rare before the age of 40, but more than half of men in their 60s and as many as 90% in their 70s and 80s have some symptoms of BPH.
* Ethnicity: While BPH is common in Europeans and Americans of European descent, it is rare in Asian men.
* Heredity: Having a family history of BPH greatly increases a man's chances of developing the condition.
Lifestyle changes can also help reduce the occurrence of BPH symptoms:
* Reduce the intake of coffee, tea and soda
* Eat an early dinner to eliminate drinking fluids later in the evening
* Cut down on fluids after 7pm
* Drink 8 glasses of water per day to help prevent accumulation of bacteria
* Avoid over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies that contain pseudoephedrine and antihistamines
* Avoid spicy and salty foods
* Stay regular (constipation may aggravate the urinary tract)
* Ejaculate regularly
* Take hot baths
* Avoid prolonged sitting
* Drink cranberry juice to increase the acidity of the urinary tract
Treatment Methods
Treatment options vary from case to case depending on the severity of the symptoms. If a patient's symptoms are mild, the usual procedure is "watchful waiting" and no pharmaceutical or surgical treatment is recommended. For moderate symptoms doctors may prescribe alpha-receptor blockers to relax the prostatic-urethral muscle or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors to help shrink the size of the prostate. In extreme cases surgery is considered the most effective treatment option after other methods have been exhausted. There are different types of surgical treatments used to improve urine flow, including transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP), as well as several newer minimally invasive procedures.
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