Enlarged Prostate

Allen Gelbl asked:


A condition that is common in older men, usually over the age of 40, is benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate. It has been discovered that a fourth of all men will have some form of swollen prostate by the time they reach the age of 50. However, it is in a small number of cases that hyperplasia will be severe enough to require a surgical procedure or medicines. Either way, an enlarged prostate is very uncomfortable and painful so it is not a condition that should go undiagnosed.

A normal prostate is slightly larger than a peanut and weighs around 20 to 30 grams. A swollen prostate can weigh anywhere from 50 to 100 grams. It should also be stated that prostatic hyperplasia is not a sign of prostate cancer. When you go in to the doctor to determine if you have an enlarged prostate, before the doctor can diagnose you they will test you for numerous things to make sure that it is prostatic hyperplasia instead of cancer.

There are several symptoms that will help you determine if you should visit the doctor for a diagnosis. The first sign of an enlarged prostate is urine leakage as well as feeling overall uncomfortable. As the problem persists, you will have a frequent urge to urinate, which is shortly followed by not being able to urinate at all.

The most common way for the doctor to check for an enlarged prostate before conducting tests is through a rectal exam. While this can be very uncomfortable, it is the only way for the doctor to see if your prostate is swollen or enlarged. However, many times the doctor is not able to diagnose the condition with a simple rectal exam. Instead, an x-ray picture of the urinary tract and prostate, or ultrasound pictures is the best way for the specialist to diagnose you properly.

After the doctor has determined your condition, you will have several treatment options. In most cases the doctor will try medicines first. Finasteride is an approved drug that forces the prostate gland to shrink naturally. The doctor will also prescribe an Alpha-blocker that helps relieve the pressure of the enlarged prostate.

In the event that the medicines were not effective, there are two types of surgery procedures that can be done. The first surgery procedure is the transurethral resection of the prostate. This is when the specialist will scrape an amount of tissue from the core of the prostate to help relieve pressure. The second option that many men are requesting is the transurethral incision of the prostate. Instead of scraping away at the core, the specialist will make several cuts in the gland to help relieve pressure.

In some cases, the patient’s condition is already so severe that the medical treatment would not be effective first. Instead, the person has to undergo immediate surgery in order to prevent the bladder from experiencing more damage. If you are experiencing some or just one of the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, then you should not wait to see if it will improve.

Marlon Dirk asked:


Half of all men between 50 and 60 years old will have developed an enlarged prostate. By the age of 80, ninety percent of men have had symptoms of BPH.

BPH is “benign prostatic hyperplasia”. This is the medical term for an enlarged prostate. It is so common in men that it is more likely than not they will have prostate health issues at some point in their lives.

An enlarged prostate causes uncomfortable and even painful symptoms such as a weak stream, difficulty starting to urinate, frequent urination and the inability to empty the bladder completely.

As the prostate continues to grow, symptoms can worsen. This can interfere with all routine activities, even sleep. When this occurs, quality of life goes down and physical activity becomes nearly impossible. If left untreated, an enlarging prostate can cause:

Bladder stones

Kidney infections

Inability to urinate

Incontinence

Damage to the kidneys, bladder and urethra

The symptoms of BPH can also be caused by another health condition of the prostate gland: prostate cancer. This is why it is so important to see a doctor if you are having these symptoms.

Enlarged Prostate - What It Is and What It Does

The prostate is a gland that wraps around the urethra just below the bladder. As it grows, it pushes against the urethra, effectively narrowing the passage of urine. The wall of the bladder thickens and is irritated and it starts contracting even when it isn’t full. This is why the urge to go is so often felt. As the bladder weakens, it doesn’t empty completely and there is urine left behind - which makes you feel the urge to go…

If it is determined that you have BPH, your treatment options include watching and waiting, drug therapy and possible surgery. Watching and waiting, or watchful waiting, means the doctor waits to see if symptoms worsen before prescribing medications or advising surgery. During this time, a man continues to be examined for symptom changes.

The treatments you receive for enlarged prostate are based on:

Age

Health

Medical History

Expectations of the course of the disease

Tolerance for medications, therapies and procedures

Your preferences

Whether you have mild, moderate or severe symptoms, the importance of seeing a physician cannot be stressed enough. As stated before, your symptoms can be caused by other disease as well - the worst of them being prostate cancer. If caught early enough, prostate cancer can be curable. While it is more likely that your symptoms are caused by BPH, there is an element of danger involved in postponing your doctor visit.

An enlarged prostate may be common but it is also treatable. To let your symptoms go undiagnosed will only cause you pain. If you are over forty, see your doctor and ask about BPH.

Joe Conrad asked:


What are the possibilities for treating an enlarged prostate? Is it possible to remove the prostate with invasive surgery through the lower abdomen? Is it possible to insert a “stent” in the urethra, similar to the stent that is used for a constricted artery?
Thanks, Joe Conrad

Smart asked:


A patient age 43 yrs has enlarged prostate i.e 36 gms. He walks a mile daily and has started reducing his weight too. He desires to remain fit without surgery. He has two children and beautiful wife. He does not want to spoil his happy life by taking fake drugs.

Cindy Heller asked:


As its name, prostate cancer is a cancerous disease that develops in your prostate gland. The cancer cells can spread from the prostate to other parts of your body, such as your bones and lymph. Nowadays, prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Therefore, if you are a man, it is very important for you to have regular checkup to keep a close eye to your prostate condition. In this case, if you are indeed suffering from prostate cancer, it can be noticed early and treated properly before it develops into a more dangerous condition.

Prostate cancer symptoms

There are many symptoms that can occur when you are suffering from prostate cancer. They can be extremely varied in term of its severity depending on your particular case and condition. Learning about prostate cancer symptoms is a wise move because if you can recognize them early, then you can immediately visit a doctor to get proper checkup and diagnosis before it grows into something serious.

Many experts consider prostate cancer as a silent killer because early symptoms of prostate cancer do not surface until it has spread. In the early stage, most prostate cancer is a slow-growing tumor and thus some people do not experience any symptom. Due to this nature, it is important to have a regular checkup to really make sure that the cancerous condition does not exist or it can be detected as early as possible.

Some aggressive tumors do give symptoms of prostate cancer like backaches and pelvis or hip pains, which normally are caused by cancer cells that have spread to the bones. When the prostate cancer grows further, it enlarges and affects other organs. During this stage, different symptoms of prostate cancer start showing themselves, which normally are related with urination problems. Several common symptoms of prostate cancer are pain during ejaculation, difficulty to urinate, experience dribbling after urination, blood in urine, weight loss, frequent urination while sleeping, and a weak flow of urine.

Prostate tests

If you feel that you are at risk of prostate cancer, then it is essential for you to get prostate tests to determine whether it really exists or not. There are two types of test, the first is to determine whether a prostate cancer is present or not and the second is to find out the stage of the prostate tumor. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal exam (DRE) are two tests to diagnose the presence of prostate cancer. On the other hand, transrectal ultrasound and prostate biopsy are used to determine the stage of the prostate cancer.

A PSA test is performed by analyzing the blood sample to find out the level of prostate specific antigen, a substance produced by the prostate gland. If you have high level of PSA, it may indicate some kind of prostate diseases, such as enlarged prostate, infection, or cancer. A DRE is used to determine whether a tumor exists in your prostate or not. The prostate gland is located in front of the rectum and in order to check for abnormalities in the prostate, the doctor will insert a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum. It is unwise to wait for symptoms of prostate cancer to appear. Therefore, it is essential to take a PSA or DRE test once a year to make sure that the prostate stays healthy.

Treatments and preventive measures are available

Another thing that needs to be considered carefully is that even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, there are many available treatments out there. You should not feel overwhelmed and feel that there is nothing you can do to survive this condition. As long as you have a qualified and experienced doctor with the support from friends and other family members, you have a good chance to get rid of this prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is definitely a grim condition, but you should keep positive attitude in order to combat the disease.

In addition, you should maintain a healthy life style, which includes a healthy diet and sufficient exercise or physical activities. With better overall health, you will help your body to fight against sicknesses and diseases that can attack your body. There is no surefire way to prevent prostate cancer from happening, but you can fight with every possible way that you can think of. Understanding prostate cancer symptoms, regular checkup, and lead a healthy lifestyle are the things that you should put on the top of your list.