Enlarged Prostate: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

It is normal for a man's prostate to grow during his adult life. In some men, this does not involve any serious symptoms, but for others, increased prostate may involve problems that affect not only the health of the prostate but also the quality of life.

Enlarged prostate: Facts

An enlarged prostate affects one in five men aged between 50 and 60 years and is even more common in older men.

Symptoms are problematic and can cause difficulties in your personal life and work because it deprives the affected person from sleep.

Drug administration or surgery can aggravate the situation in some cases, especially in cases where they are not imperative.

On the other hand, there are some lifestyle changes that can make a difference when it comes to enlarged prostate.

The prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system, is located beneath the bladder, between the rectum and the base of the penis. Because the prostate partially envelopes the urethra, through which the urine passes when eliminated, the enlarged prostate can produce difficulties in urination.

When the prostate grows, it can press on the bladder and the urethra, creating the sensation of urination even when the bladder is not full, preventing the urine from flowing naturally.

This feeling becomes stronger when the muscles at the base of the bladder begin to contract, even in the case of a small amount of urine.

Over time, this constant pressure can weaken the bladder muscles and, consequently, the bladder can not properly empty, always leaving some urine behind.

The medical term for enlarged prostate is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The word benign means that this growth is not cancerous and the word hyperplasia means abnormal growth or multiplication of cells.

BPH is the most well-known non-cancerous form of cell growth in men and does not cause prostate cancer.

Enlarged Prostate: Causes

It is perfectly normal for the prostate to grow during puberty until it reaches the size of a nut. Around the age of 25 begins to grow again, slowly.

Prostate growth is not the same for all men. In some men it grows more than in others.

Changes that occur in male sex hormones as a result of the aging process influence the growth of the prostate.

Androgen hormones, like testosterone, affect prostate growth. Prostate converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), another powerful androgen hormone which stimulates cell growth in prostate gland tissue. This is the major cause of the enlarged prostate.

Enlarged Prostate: Risk factors

Age is a major risk factor for enlarged prostate. According to an analysis of benign prostatic hyperplasia, published in Urology Reviews, prostate gland growth is a phenomenon that is strictly related to age and is manifested in almost all men since the age of 40 years.

The information obtained from autopsy studies around the world shows that the prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia is about 10% in men around the age of 30, 20% in men of 40 years old, 55% on average in men at the age of 60 years, and reaches to 85% on average in men aged between 70 and 80 years.

Studies show that there is no doubt that long-lived men will exhibit certain features of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

A study by the Mayo Foundation and Clinic found that out of the more than 2,000 men involved in the study, around 500 (25%) reported cases of enlarged prostate in the family.

The chances of having moderate or severe urinary symptoms were higher in those who had cases of enlarged prostate in the family compared to those who did not.

These results show that men with a family history of enlarged prostate have a high risk of developing symptoms and signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and the risk is even greater in men with relatives diagnosed at younger ages.

Enlarged Prostate: Symptoms

When the prostate is enlarged, it pushes on the bladder and urinary tract. This can cause problems, such as:

l  Frequent urination, especially during the night

l  Difficulty at urination

l  Urine needs more time to start flowing (despite the need to urinate)

l  Tension during urination

l  Smaller urine flow and a longer time until urination finishes

l  The sensation that the bladder is not empty after urination

There is not always a direct relationship between prostate size and symptoms. Some men with enlarged prostate may not show symptoms, and others who do not have enlarged prostate may experience all sorts of problems.

Approximately one-third of men with enlarged prostate have lower urinary tract symptoms that may affect the quality of life.

Symptoms of the lower urinary tract include symptoms such as frequent urination, especially during the night, and discharge symptoms, such as too much jet, incomplete urination, and spilling of urine after urination.

In some men, the symptoms may crumble over time, while others may remain unchanged or worsen over time, requiring surgical intervention.

Occasionally, men who suffer from enlarged prostate can suddenly feel a difficulty urinating or can not urinate at all.

This condition is called acute urinary retention and requires immediate medical attention to remove the discomfort created.

Acute urinary retention is an unpleasant and potentially dangerous condition. It usually occurs in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and is often triggered by certain factors such as cold weather, a drug that prevents the bladder from contracting, or excessive alcohol consumption.

Other factors that can cause acute urinary retention are some invasive procedures for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, acute bacterial prostatitis, and viral infections.

Enlarged Prostate: Conventional treatment

Treatment for enlarged prostate depends on the severity of the symptoms and the risk of complications, such as urinary retention.

Most men with enlarged prostate have mild to moderate symptoms and can manage them without needing serious treatment plans, by only using mild medication.

But for other men, the symptoms can be extremely serious or painful and may worsen over time, so a treatment plan may be necessary.

A study that have been conducted between 1989 and 1999 and which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine involved 695 men with prostate cancer who were either cautiously supervised, or radical prostatectomy (removing the gland Prostate cancer), and who have been kept under observation until the end of 2012.

The results, at an evaluation of over 23 years, show a substantial decrease in mortality after surgery, especially where the surgery was based on age or risk tumor.

Medication against enlarged prostate is another solution. Most men with enlarged prostate will either follow the symptoms to see how they develop or take medication. The alpha blockers can relieve the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia within weeks, but they will not prevent prostate growth.

5-alpha reductase inhibitors are used to reduce enlarged prostate, but their effect will be seen after six months or more.

Surgery should be the last solution. There are surgical techniques used to remove or destroy the prostate's tissues. Intervention is only needed when complications occur, when the symptoms of the enlarged prostate become too severe, and when there is no other way to remove the discomfort.

The trans-urethral incision of the prostate is the most common intervention to cure the enlarged prostate. The surgery involves removing tissue that obstructs the prostate by laser or electric current.

Enlarged Prostate: Natural remedies

Changes in lifestyle and diet

Certain lifestyle changes can improve the symptoms of the enlarged prostate. Here are some recommendations for those who prefer to postpone medication or surgery:

l  Limit or eliminate alcohol and caffeine consumption

l  Limit the consumption of liquids in the evening

l  Try urinating at least once every three hours

l  Engage in physical activity

l  Keep a healthy weight

l  Increase intake of healthy fats (omega 3, 6, and 9 foods)

Exercises to strengthen the pelvic area (Kegel exercises)

Pelvic exercises or Kegel exercises can strengthen the pelvic diaphragm muscles, improving the abnormal or involuntary loss of urine that occurs in men with enlarged prostate.

These exercises, which involve contracting and then relaxing the muscles, help the bladder and close the sphincter. Because it can be difficult to locate the muscle, it can be done during urination. Contract the muscle, letting the urine flow slowly and then stopping the urination for about 20 seconds.

Generally, it is recommended that men practicingand repeating these exercises for 3 to 5 times a day.

Herbal supplements

The following plants are helpful in benign prostatic hyperplasia:

l  Dwarf palm tree - The dwarf palm has long been used as a therapeutic remedy for urinary dysfunction caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia. Studies show that dwarf palm tree helps to improve urinary dysfunction and overactive bladder in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Dwarf palm tree is known as a safe remedy, even in the long run.

l  Nettle roots - A study conducted in Japan found that nettle root has hydrophobic compounds, like steroids, that inhibit the activity of prostate tissue, which can suppress cellular metabolism and prostate growth.

l  Pumpkin seed oil - A study published in the Korean nutrition journal, entitled Nutrition Research and Practice, found that pumpkin seed oil has the ability to reduce the symptoms of an enlarged prostate within three months. Maximum urinary flow was progressively improved after six months.