It’s a problem that has several names -- enlarged prostate, benign prostate hyperplasia, or simply BPH. According to the National Kidney and Urological Disease Information Clearinghouse, one of the most common diseases in many aging men and the most common prostate problem for men over 50 is prostate enlargement.
By age 60, over one-half of men have BPH; by age 85, the number climbs to 90%, according to the American Urological Association (AUA).
In men, urine flows from the bladder through the urethra. BPH is a benign (noncancerous) enlargement of the prostate that blocks the flow of urine through the urethra. The prostate cells gradually multiply, creating an enlargement that puts pressure on the urethra - where urine and semen exit the body.
As the urethra narrows, the bladder has to contract more forcefully to push urine through the body.
Over time, the bladder muscle may gradually become stronger, thicker, and overly sensitive; it begins to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, causing a need to urinate frequently. Eventually, the bladder muscle cannot overcome the effect of the narrowed urethra so urine remains in the bladder and it is not completely emptied.
BPH can lead to blockage of urine flow (men will have trouble urinating ) which can not only change the bladder wall, but also ruin bladder function and control and lead to kidney damage or chronic kidney disease.
The prostate grows very little from birth until puberty, but at puberty it undergoes a growth spurt, increasing in weight and doubling its size.
In general, the size of the prostate remains constant for the next 30 or more years. In some men, in fact, the prostate never again increases in size. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case for most men, who will develop BPH.
According to estimates by the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, more than half of men aged 50 and above have enlarged prostates. This number steadily increases with age, and by age 80 it is estimated that 80 percent of men have prostatic enlargement.
Symptoms of enlarged prostate can include:
- A weak or slow urinary stream
- A feeling of incomplete bladder emptying
- Difficulty starting urination
- Frequent urination
- Urgency to urinate
- Getting up frequently at night to urinate
- A urinary stream that starts and stops
- Straining to urinate
- Continued dribbling of urine
- Returning to urinate again minutes after finishing
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