What is prostate enlargement? What are its symptoms and causes, and how is it treated? How common is prostate enlargement, and who’s at risk? What is benign prostatic hyperplasia? Is there anything you can do to prevent prostate enlargement? What connection — if any — is there between prostate enlargement and prostate cancer? Here, experts provide answers.
What Is Prostate Enlargement?
Prostate enlargement — also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia — is an increase in the size of the prostate gland, which is located between a man’s bladder and urethra, says Dr. Paul M. Kozlowski, a urologist at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. This growth of the prostate gland is non-cancerous. A man’s prostate typically goes through two main growth periods, according to the Urology Care Foundation. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. As men age, their prostates get larger. Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate, often occurs during the second growth phase. An enlarged prostate is not related to prostate cancer. However, physicians sometimes discover prostate cancer in the work-up for symptoms related to an enlarged prostate, says Dr. Michael Lee, a urologist with UCHealth in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Who Is at Risk of Prostate Enlargement?
An enlarged prostate is very common for men as they get older, says Dr. Steven Lamm, medical director of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health at NYU Langone Health in New York City. Men over age of 50 are most susceptible to prostate enlargement, he says. “The condition is more common as men age,” Lamm says. It usually occurs after age 40. Nearly 90 percent of men experience an enlarged prostate at some point in their lives, Lamm says. Women don’t have prostate glands and therefore aren’t at risk of prostate enlargement.
[See: What Color Should My Pee Be? A Stream of Urine Questions, Answered.]
Enlarged Prostate Symptoms
Bothersome urinary symptoms are common signs of an enlarged prostate, Lee says. These symptoms include increased urinary frequency, urinary urgency, a weak urinary stream and frequent nighttime urination, which can interrupt your sleep.
What Causes Prostate Enlargement?
Most men have continued prostate growth throughout their lifetimes, according to the Mayo Clinic. In many men, this continued growth enlarges the prostate enough to cause urinary symptoms, like decreased urine flow. It’s not entirely clear what causes the prostate to enlarge over time. It might be attributable to changes in the balance of sex hormones as men grow older, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Can BPH Be Prevented?
There is no sure way to prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. Because excess body fat may affect hormone levels, which help mediate BPH and cell growth, diet may play a role in preventing an enlarged prostate, according to the Urology Care Foundation. Losing weight and eating a healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables, may help prevent BPH. For the most part, prostatic enlargement is out of one’s control as the prostate tends to enlarge as men grow older, says Dr. Daniel Marchalik, director of ambulatory urologic surgery and medical education at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the District of Columbia.
Enlarged Prostate Complications
By making it harder to urinate, an enlarged prostate could cause a host of complications, Marchalik says. These include urinary tract infections, kidney problems and the creation of stones inside the bladder, he says.
[See: 5 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Developing Kidney Disease.]
Enlarged Prostate Treatment
There are several treatments for enlarged prostate, Kozlowski says. These include:
— Behavioral changes
— Prescription drugs
— Surgical procedures
1. Behavioral changes.
Simple changes in lifestyle can be effective treatments for an enlarged prostate. For instance, limiting the amount of fluids you drink before bedtime can decrease the number of trips to the bathroom at night, Kozlowski says. Reducing the amount of caffeinated beverages you consume and emptying your bladder every three or four hours throughout the day can be part of this approach, he says.
2. Prescription drugs.
There are three types of prescription drugs to treat prostate enlargement, Marchalik says. The most common is tamsulosin, also known by the brand name Flomax. This medication relaxes the smooth muscle of the prostate, which allows for easier urination. Potential side effects including dizziness and retrograde ejaculation, in which a man’s ejaculate goes back into his bladder. (This doesn’t pose a health risk.)
Another medication, finasteride, also known by its brand name Proscar, shrinks the prostate, Marchalik says. You have to take this medication for about six months to see its maximal effects. Potential side effects of this drug include erectile dysfunction, an inability to achieve orgasm and loss of libido.
The third type of medication, oxybutynin, known by its brand name Ditropan, helps relax the bladder and decreases the urgency to urinate. This medication can cause some memory impairment. Taking one medication doesn’t preclude the possibility of combining it with one or both of the others, Marchalik says. Your urologist can advise you about which medication or combination is best for you.
[See: 10 Things Younger Men Should Know About Prostate Cancer.]
3. Surgical procedures.
If behavioral changes and prescription drugs don’t work, you can try surgical procedures. About 200,000 men a year undergo procedures to shrink their prostates, says Kevin T. McVary, a professor of urology and director at the Center for Male Health at the Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois. The school is affiliated with Loyola University Medical Center. Probably the most common procedure is a transurethral resection, commonly known as TURP. This involves placing an instrument in the urethra to cut out the part of the prostate that’s blocking the urine flow. There’s also a laser procedure that vaporizes the tissue obstructing the urethra.
The UroLift System is another option. This procedure involves a urologist placing tiny implants in the prostate to increase the opening of the urethra and allow for greater urine flow. A five-year study of 140 men published in the Canadian Journal of Urology in June 2017 found “sustained improvement in quality of life” for 50 percent of the research participants. Overall, 82 percent of the study participants reported some level of satisfaction with their urinary symptoms after five years. The method also had “an acceptably low surgical retreatment rate” of 2 to 3 percent per year, the journal reported. The newest minimally invasive procedure, known as Rez?m, involves the injection of a small amount of steam into the prostate tissue through a small camera scope. This destroys the blocking prostate tissue within seconds. This procedure “appears promising,” according to research published in the Asian Journal of Urology in January 2018.
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What Is Prostate Enlargement? originally appeared on usnews.com
