Friday, 16 December 2016

The MYTH: Enlarged prostate is caused by cancer

Aastha Kidney Hospital Ludhiana
Increase in the size of prostate or an enlarged prostate isn't caused by cancer, rather it simply as a result of increase in the number of cells in the prostate gland. Medically this condition is referred to as Benign Prostatic Cancer (BPE) or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

The intense medical terms simply mean the following:

Benign - meaning non cancer causing

Prostatic - referring to prostate gland

Enlargement or Hyperplasia- increase in size or number of cells.



Prostate cancer and enlarged prostate are medical conditions that begin in different parts of the prostate. Prostate cancer may be present without any symptoms. A person however can have both prostate cancer as well as an enlarged prostate problems at the same time.




Exact Cause


Although the exact causes cannot be pin pointed but factors like age, hormone imbalance, hereditary and conditions like diabetes, obesity are certain reasons that may possibly cause the prostate to enlarge. However, further studies are required to identify the exact cause.


Affected AGE GROUP

Men above 50 years of age

When does an ENLARGED PROSTATE become a problem?

An increased prostate is quiet common among men as they get older. Although most men do not have severe symptoms that need treatment and can go on with daily lives experiencing mild discomfort and difficulties like wanting to frequently urinate or stay near the toilet. Working, driving or being a part of social gatherings is difficult but manageable.

Also, waking up a lot at night to use the toilet means experiencing fatigue and not feeling fresh during the day. While the symptoms in certain cases improved over time, for most men these tend to grow with age.

The Complications

Chronic Urine Retention

The person is not able to empty the bladder completely upon urination. This situation develops slowly over time. Initially, a person may experience mild symptoms like reduced flow of urine or possibly leaking urine at night. The person may experience swelling in the abdomen or have a feeling that urine hasn't been passed completely. Although retaining the urine doesn't cause pain but the constant pressure because of urine retention can slowly stretch the bladder muscle making it weaker. Not being able to pass the urine completely also put the person in the risk of contact frequent urine infections or even developing painful bladder stones along with mild symptoms mentioned earlier. There may be a possibility of having blood in the urine. Also, this condition can lead to severe damage being cause to kidney and bladder.




Acute Urine Retention

This abruptly lead to excruciating pain with an inability to urinate requiring immediate medical assistance. The bladder may have to be drained immediately and an alpha blocker administered to prevent the re-occurrence of this condition. 


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