The benign prostatic hyperplasia is the enlargement of the prostate gland, which might result in problems in urination, like urine stream being weak, frequent urination, infections, urine retention, incontinence, unusual color and foul smelling urine, bladder stones, and overall reduced functioning of the kidney.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia being commonly an age related problem, the treatment remains simple with supportive care and urinary retention medicines. In order to understand the causes of BPH we should first of all know the fact that men produce testosterone (male hormone) as well as estrogen(female hormone) in very small quantities. As men age, the production of testosterone reduces resulting in BPH (estrogen allows the growth of prostate cells).
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is found to occur in people who are old (more than 50 years), obese people who are diabetic, hypertensive, those who skip physical exercises and ones who suffer from erectile dysfunction. The diagnosis involves a detailed medical history, a physical examination and finally concluded by a few blood tests.( urinalysis, prostate specific antigen blood test, urodynamic tests, cystoscopy, transrectal ultrasound, biopsy)
The treatment options for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia would include – changes in lifestyle, medications, minimally invasive procedures or a surgery.
Lifestyle changes would include- reduced liquid intake, caffeine or alcohol, avoid self medications such as decongestants, antihistamines, antidepressants and diuretics. Doctors do advise pelvic floor muscle exercises, bladder training, and keep constipation at bay.
Medications for BPH include alpha blockers, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors or a combination of medicines.
Some minimally invasive procedures to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia are- prostatic stent insertion, water-induced thermotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound, transurethral electrovaporization, transurethral microwave thermotherapy and transurethral needle ablation.
These procedures could help relieve blockage and urinary retention caused by BPH, and these may require local, regional or general anesthesia according to the symptoms present in the person.
In rare cases of BPH which remain problematic for a long time, a surgery is considered, wherein the urologist may remove enlarged prostate tissue or make some cuts in the prostate to widen the urethra for easy urination and other problems related to urination as mentioned above.
Contact 080 28483939 for more information on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treatment at our Specialized Clinic, ReSCUE Urology Hospital in Bangalore, Kengeri.
