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What is prostate and what are the problems caused by its enlargement in old age?
Prostate is a gland present in all males which sits below urinary bladder. Normally it is small in size. In old age it enlarges in size (called benign prostastic enlargement-BPH) and may cause problems is urination.
Prostate is a gland present in all males which sits below urinary bladder. Normally it is small in size. In old age it enlarges in size (called benign prostastic enlargement-BPH) and may cause problems is urination.
What are the symptoms due to prostate enlargement?
Pushing or straining to begin urination, weak urinary stream, frequent urination, urgency (sudden urgent need to urinate),nightime frequent urination, incontinence ( leakage of urine) and blood in the urine. Some other urethral, bladder problems can also cause similar symptoms. It needs evalution to differentiate these different conditions.
In severe cases of BPH, acute urinary retention (sudden complete inability to urinate) can result
Pushing or straining to begin urination, weak urinary stream, frequent urination, urgency (sudden urgent need to urinate),nightime frequent urination, incontinence ( leakage of urine) and blood in the urine. Some other urethral, bladder problems can also cause similar symptoms. It needs evalution to differentiate these different conditions.
In severe cases of BPH, acute urinary retention (sudden complete inability to urinate) can result
What are the tests done in evaluation of prostate enlargement?
Commonly done tests done in BPH include: Ultrasound: Of kidney ,prostate and bladder.
PSA: It is a blood test is done to differentiate between BPH and prostate cancer. The decision to do PSA is taken by the urologist after examination of the patient.
Uroflometry: It measures how quickly the urine is flowing. Below is image of a uroflometry machine.
Sometimes specialised test called urodynamics is done to test power( contractility) of urinary bladder.
Commonly done tests done in BPH include:
How is prostate enlargement treated ?
Choice of treatment depends on age of patient, severity of BPH and general condition of patient.Watchful waiting: Have regular checkups and be ready to start treatment as soon as you need it.
Medication:Medications to relax the prostate to keep it from strangulating/pressing on the bladder opening. Symptoms are relieved rapidly within a few days. They may cause some amount of giddiness especially if one gets up suddenly from a lying to a standing position. Symptoms usually reappear when the medication is stopped. Another group of drugs is used to shrink the prostate.
Prostate surgery:When medicine do not work or when the disease is associated with certain red flag signs(e.g. inability to pass urine at all) threre is no alternative to prostate surgery. Mostly it is done by endoscopic methods.( called TURP)
You choose!
Choice of treatment depends on age of patient, severity of BPH and general condition of patient.