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Prostate Conditions
What is the prostate? The prostate is a gland found only in men. It is about the size of a walnut, lies just below the bladder and surrounds the tube (urethra) that drains urine from the bladder. Its job is to secrete a milky fluid, which becomes part of the semen and nourishes the sperm.
Common prostate conditions Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate gland, which is often caused by urinary tract infection. It usually affects younger men. Prostatitis usually results from blockage or irritation of some of the ducts within the prostate gland, and the cause may be mechanical or infective. The infective causes may be viral or bacterial (eg, sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia) or secondary to a urine infection. Symptoms of prostatitis may include :
- painful, burning or frequent urination
- weak urine flow or incomplete emptying
- fever and chills
- low back pain.
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Examination and treatment
Your doctor may feel your prostate through your rectum (digital rectal examination), to check if your prostate is tender, and take blood or urine samples to test for infection. If you have prostatitis, you may need antibiotic treatment. Take the medication for as long as it is prescribed, to stop the infection recurring.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a normal, gradual enlargement of the prostate caused by hormonal effects. It usually commences in middle age. BPH does not lead to cancer.
In men with BPH, the prostate gland grows larger with ageing. BPH affects about half of men aged over 60 and 80% of men aged 80 or more. Almost every man over 45 has some prostate enlargement, but symptoms are rarely felt before the age of 60.
If the symptoms mentioned below do occur and you are under 60 then it is important to see your doctor to discuss these symptoms. Many of the symptoms are not specific to just one cause of prostate problem.
Common symptoms of BPH :
- having to wait for the urine stream to start
- poor urinary flow and a variable flow rate
- frequent urination
- difficulty postponing urination (urgency)
- dribbling of urine at the end of urination
- having to wake at night to pass urine multiple times (nocturia).
If BPH causes no symptoms, it requires no treatment – it only leads to problems if the enlargement narrows the urethra and makes it difficult to pass urine. BPH does not lead to prostate cancer, although prostate cancer can occur in a man with BPH.
If you have burning or pain while urinating, see your doctor right away. |
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Examination and treatment
If you have any symptoms of BPH, you should see your doctor who will carry out a digital rectal examination to check your prostate for any abnormality. A urine sample may be taken to test for blood, infection or other problems, such as diabetes.
If you have few symptoms, your doctor may decide simply to monitor your condition with regular check-ups. However, if your condition is complicated, medication or surgery may be suggested.
Medications can work by relaxing the muscles around the prostate or blocking the action of the hormone testosterone, shrinking the prostate.
Surgical treatment of BPH often involves removing excess prostate tissue (about 25% of men with BPH will require this). |
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Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a relatively common cancer, especially in older men. It occurs less commonly than BPH, and it is usually slow-growing. There are no symptoms of early prostatic cancer. In older men prostatic cancer is usually slow to develop and enclosed within the prostate gland itself, and thus seldom life-threatening.
When prostate cancer does occur in younger men, both diagnosis and treatment outcomes are improved the earlier it is brought to the doctor's attention.
Treatments
Prostate cancer can be treated by surgery, radiotherapy or hormone treatment. The choice of treatment depends on the size, type, growth and spread of the cancer, and on your age, general health, symptoms and personal choice.
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