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The benign prostatic hyperplasia , also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy , is not itself a disease in that during the life of a man, this gland has a natural tendency to grow. It is a disease that has nothing to do with cancer but sometimes it can be complicated by urinary and / or kidney .

The benign prostate is very common from the age of 50 years.

Prostate

The prostate is a gland that exists only in humans and is located below the bladder , in front of the rectum and it surrounds the urethra, the tube leading from the bladder and then walks into the penis and allows the man urinating. Prostate belongs to the genital tract of man. It is under the influence of hormones and genital participates in the maturation of sperm . For examination, the doctor performs a rectal examination. The normal prostate weighs about 15-20 grams.

Disorders of micturition

Because of its location, when it expands, the prostate can lead to disorders of urination is to say, difficulty or discomfort with urination, a strong need or urge to urinate frequently, a decrease of the urinary stream, an interrupted jet … are all signs of irritation and / or urinary retention. There is talk of prostatism.

Often, men with this condition may have to get up several times in the night to urinate and sleep may be disrupted.

The acute urinary retention

Sometimes, a person suffering from enlarged prostate can not urinate at all, the bladder continues to fill: the acute retention of urine . In this case, you have to put a catheter to remove the obstacle and allow the bladder to empty.

Retention of urine may sound severe, chronic upstream on the bladder and the kidneys and lead to decreased function.

Gentlemen, please visit

When a man has trouble urinating, it is important that he speak with his doctor. It will take stock of problems and seek to find an impact on the quality of life of his patient. It will also seek a possible impact on urinary kidney function, upstream of the bladder.

Be aware that the importance of urinary is not proportional to the increase in the volume of the prostate.

DRE

As the prostate is located just in front of the rectum, the doctor may examine by palpation with a digital rectal examination, it may be noted an increase in volume or surface roughness, palpate any tumor.

This exam is not painful: the doctor puts a plastic thimble on the index and practical examination on the patient lying on his back, he practiced the DRE by putting the index finger cot protected by the anus .

DRE is also screened for prostate cancer . While many men do not decide, wrongly, to go see for this screening, the occurrence of urinary problems is an opportunity to do the screening.

Additional tests

Faced with a benign prostate, the doctor will often ask a few additional tests: urine cytology examination (urinalysis) to see if there is a urinary tract infection favored by retention of urine, making blood to see if the kidneys are working well.

The determination of PSA (antigen prostate -specific), a marker of prostate cancer is sometimes called, not to make the diagnosis of cancer but to have a baseline before the initiation of treatment, in fact, certain drugs vary the concentration of this marker and the initial value can follow any pathological changes of this marker.

An ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder may be prescribed.

Relationship between benign prostate and prostate cancer?

Benign prostate is not cancer, is an increase in volume of the gland, benign, this hypertrophy does not degenerate, that is to say that it does not turn into cancer.

But it is possible to have both a prostatic hypertrophy and cancer.

Cancer of the prostate can cause urinary problems and give the same signs, but the evolution will be different.

When a man goes to see problems prostate , the doctor during his examination, will be screened for prostate cancer by performing digital rectal examination, it will look for signs that could suggest a malignancy may request additional tests to help make a diagnosis and take appropriate action depending on the diagnosis.

The treatment of enlarged prostate

Treatment can be started, but it is not systematic. Indeed, urinary disorders associated with an adenoma of the prostate are capricious and variable over time: they may be important for a few weeks and require the person to get up several times a night and day, to stop its activities to go urinate. Then, the signs may diminish or disappear within months.

When the signs are not too bothersome, the doctor often includes no treatment, but recommends regular monitoring of the patient.

Treatment will be prescribed when the prostate disorders affect the quality of life of the patient and / or bladder or the risk of deterioration in renal function exists.

There are several kinds of medicines (tablets): synthetic molecules (alpha-blockers, inhibitors of 5 alpha reductase), and products of herbal medicine . Often associated with different types of drugs.

The surgery is considered only if the drug treatment is not active, or when kidney function is impaired. Two types of interventions are possible by natural means by “planing” the prostate, either through intervention with an incision above the pubis. Sometimes patients operated youth will once again operate as part of the remaining prostate continues to grow.