What to know about prostate enlargement

Most men in their middle age suffer prostate enlargement and this makes them worry as they get closer to their middle age. It has been proven that prostate problems are common at about the age of 50 but the good news from experts is that not all prostate problems result in cancer. Prostate gland is […]

Most men in their middle age suffer prostate enlargement and this makes them worry as they get closer to their middle age.
It has been proven that prostate problems are common at about the age of 50 but the good news from experts is that not all prostate problems result in cancer.
Prostate gland is an ancestry reproductive gland of the male which is usually about 20 to 25 gramme located at the level of the bladder neck, said Dr Isiaka Olayinka Lawal, a consultant urologist with the National Hospital, Abuja.
Dr Lawal said the gland is an ancestry organ and not the main organ of production, adding that what it does is to potentiate the semen to produce some secretion that will make the semen more viable.
“But the unfortunate thing is that by the time men get to middle age of between 40 to 50 years, the prostate begins to increase in size and the increase is because of the location of the prostate. It can cause narrowing at bladder neck and because urine and semen passes through it before entering the penis, there is enlargement at about that middle age in life,” he said.
According to him, the situation can cause impairment in the flow of urine and that is why most people when they have enlarged prostate, the first thing they notice is the abnormality of their urine flow which could vary from reduction in the stream, and inability to empty the urine completely making the individual not to be able to empty the bladder, and within a short time the bladder will be full again thereby leading to frequency.
Types of enlargement
Dr Lawal said enlargement comes in three different types; the ordinary enlargement medically known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), enlargement with infection called prostatitis and enlargement with cancer which is call prostate cancer.
These three are those that affect the prostate in men. The severe one among the three is the cancer. It is like treating cancer in any part of the body. The one with infection can be treated with antibiotic; the one with ordinary enlargement (BPH) can be treated with drugs or if the drug is not effective surgery can be done to remove it.
For prostate cancer, Dr lawal said there was always a genetic predisposition that is, if a first relative experienced it the risk is higher than those that have no history of it.
Some measures to tackle it
Dr Lawal said the only good thing about prostate enlargement is that, if it is diagnosed earlier it can be cured.
“There are some operations that can be done to remove the cancer completely if diagnosed early. Unfortunately most patients in this part of the world only come when the cancer is already advanced. But in some other countries where the level of education is higher, poverty level low, the standard of living is high people do regular medical check-up yearly so that those things are identified early enough,” he said.
There is a particular blood test that is advisable for every man in his middle age to go for; Prostate Specific Antigen (PFA). It is supposed to be done early for speedy remedy. It is the earliest indicator of the prostate cancer and when you do it and it begins to rise the person will be referred to a urologist.
According to Dr Lawal, the general practitioner can order for the test but when it is discovered that, it rises the person must be referred to a urologist who will take time to examine the patients, the prostate and do another scan on the prostate depending on his finding, he can also do a biopsies to confirm whether there is cancer and treatment will commence.
Some major symptoms
Dr Lawal said when there is prostate enlargement, the person will begin to notice anomaly in his urine pattern. The anomaly varies from individual to individual. First, urine frequency increases both day and night. Most people in the night pass urine once in a night if there is no any diseases condition but with prostate the person urinates three to four times in the night. During the day urine comes every one or two hours. The power of the stream of urine also reduces.
“There is incomplete emptying (there is the urge to urinate but small amount comes out. There is also urgency (some have the urge but they cannot hold it for long). We also have what we call in countenance that is, the person has the urge but before getting to the toilet he urinates on his body. Others are blood in the urine, painful urination, painful ejaculation, and pain in back, hips, thighs, pelvis and/or rectum,” he said.
The medical expert advised that every man in his mid-year should go for PSA test once in a year because it is one of the earliest detectors for prostate cancer. The best way to tackle it is to detect it early. But for the other ones, prostatitis and benign enlargement they can be treated or at worst surgery can be done to remove it.
He said ordinary enlargement can be managed with drugs to increase the flow. If it is so big and the response from the drug is not adequate, there may be a need for surgical intervention. There is advancement in the surgery for prostate unlike in the past.