An enlarged prostate is often found when examined by a doctor during a medical examination. A change in size most often occurs as a result of an inflammatory process. As a result of this phenomenon, the patient may develop prostatitis. It is impossible to establish the cause of the increase in tissue size on its own. Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor if symptoms of the disease are detected.
What is the prostate
The prostate is a small gland. It is shaped like a chestnut. The gland is located under the bladder and in front of the rectum: on top of the urethra. The prostate is one of the main components of the male reproductive system. The gland performs many functions, one of which is the creation of sperm.
In some diseases, the prostate can change its size. If you experience such a symptom, you should definitely visit a doctor. An enlarged prostate needs immediate treatment.
To begin with, it is recommended to undergo a thorough examination and establish the cause of the development of the disease. Only qualifieda specialist is able to correctly diagnose and prescribe adequate therapy.
What you need to know about an enlarged prostate
An enlarged prostate indicates the presence of certain pathologies in the body. When a boy is just born, his prostate gland is tiny. During puberty, testosterone production increases in young people. As a result, the prostate enlarges. Fully gland begins to function at the age of 17.
In the subsequent period of 20 years, the growth of the prostate slows down significantly. Iron does not cause problems. It is worth noting that an enlarged prostate occurs in only 10% of men who are 30 years old.
This does not stop the growth of the prostate gland. The second surge occurs at age 40. More than 50% of men by the age of 60 suffer from an enlarged prostate, and by the age of 80 - 90%.
Code required treatment
During puberty, the growth of the gland is considered normal, and this process proceeds evenly and without symptoms. However, the prostate, enlarged after 40 years, needs therapy. When such a phenomenon occurs, the urethra is the first to suffer. It is strongly compressed, which leads to some difficulty in emptying the bladder. Doctors gave the name "benign hyperplasia" to this condition. The second name of such a pathology is prostate adenoma.
In most cases, hyperplasia begins to progress. As a result, the man stops completelyempty your bladder, as the urethra is compressed more strongly. The problems don't end there. It should be noted that the development of this pathology often leads to thickening of the walls of the bladder itself. Timely diagnosis and therapy can get rid of hyperplasia at an early stage.
Symptoms of pathology
The enlarged prostate can be very disturbing for a man. The main symptom of pathology is difficulty in the process of urination. This sign of disturbance occurs in almost all patients who have encountered such a problem.
Symptoms may be mild. After all, the pressure of the enlarged prostate gland can be compensated to some extent by the muscles of the bladder itself. An enlarged prostate usually presses on the urethra. This may be indicated by an interrupted or compressed urine stream. In addition to these symptoms, the patient may experience:
- discomfort resulting from incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- urine in some cases continues to drip even after urination;
- difficulty urinating.
The severity of these symptoms depends on whether the enlarged prostate bothers you. Treatment also depends on these indicators.
Other signs
If the prostate is doubled in size, the fluid collected in the bladder can cause irritation. Symptoms of the disease in this case will be different:
- pain during urination;
- incontinence - losscontrol over the process of urination;
- frequent urge to urinate, especially at night;
- a sense of urgency that comes with the urge to urinate.
Enlarged prostate: causes
Treatment of a disease begins with determining the cause of its development. Therefore, it is worth going through a thorough examination. Among the main causes of the development of pathology are:
- Prostate growth stimulates an increase in estrogen production and a decrease in testosterone production.
- The prostate produces a substance - dihydrotestosterone, which neutralizes testosterone. With age, the synthesis of DHT in the body does not decrease. But the production of testosterone is reduced. As a result, the prostate cells are stimulated.
- Genetic predisposition. Prostate cell growth can be programmed into adulthood.
- Prostate cancer.
- Various infectious diseases accompanied by an inflammatory process.
Basic Therapies
What to do if the prostate is enlarged? How to treat such a pathology? These questions can only be answered by a specialist in a narrow profile. Currently, there are several main areas: surgical, drug treatment and observational method. The choice of the method of therapy depends on what factor influenced the stimulation of the growth of gland cells, as well as on how much the tissues increased in size.
It is simply impossible to choose the right way on your own. Do itonly a doctor can. Do not try to independently identify the cause of the development of pathology. Self-medication in this case can cause the development of serious complications.
Observational method
This treatment for enlarged prostate is chosen if:
- the patient has mild signs of pathology that do not cause severe discomfort;
- if the patient does not want to identify the cause of the disease for a long time and take medications and experience their side effects;
- if the number of symptoms has decreased significantly after lifestyle changes.
What to do while waiting
If the observation method is chosen, the patient should reduce the amount of liquid consumed during the day. Do not drink anything for two hours before going to bed.
It is necessary to completely eliminate the use of alcoholic beverages. When visiting the toilet, you must completely empty your bladder. Before taking any diuretic drug, you should carefully study its side effects. Do not take medicines without consulting a specialist. Uncontrolled treatment of symptoms of the disease can aggravate the situation.
Medicated treatment
If a man's prostate is enlarged and the method of observation has not brought proper results, then drug therapy is prescribed. This method is justified if:
- monitoring the patient did not help;
- there is a risk of serious complications;
- no change has occurred since the lifestyle change.
Features of drug therapy
If the method of observation does not fit and the patient does not improve, the doctor may prescribe medication. They should only be taken as directed. Do not exceed the dosage allowed by the doctor. The required amount of drugs is determined after establishing the cause of prostate enlargement and examination. When prescribing, the specialist also takes into account the symptoms described by the patient. For therapy can be prescribed:
- hormones;
- alpha blockers;
- phytopreparations;
- antimicrobials;
- homeopathic medicines;
- polyene antibiotics;
- Antineoplastic and antiparkinsonian medicines.
Treatment with herbal remedies
Even in ancient times, various herbs tried to overcome prostate enlargement. At the moment, this kind of therapy offers a lot of collections of medicinal plants, which mainly include extracts.
The effectiveness of such products depends on how much they contain phytosterols. Such drugs can reduce the production of prostaglandin in the prostate, relieve the inflammatory process, completely stop or slow down the active growth of tissue cells. These drugs are taken only as prescribed by a doctor.
Hormone intake
Hormonal preparations allow to normalize the process of active growth of prostate tissues. With the development of pathology, estrogens and androgens are of particular importance. The latter block the synthesis of testosterone. Also they canaffect androgenic effects at the level of the prostate or hypothalamus-pituitary gland.
Hormonal drugs can not only normalize urination, but also reduce prostate tissue in size. However, the use of such drugs has recently been limited, since such formulations have many side effects. It is especially worth highlighting such violations as a decrease in potency and sexual desire. It is not recommended to take any hormones on your own.
Surgery
The doctor may prescribe surgery if the patient has an enlarged prostate. The causes of the development of the disease may be hidden in the formation of tumors. It is worth noting that not so long ago, this method of therapy was considered the most effective. However, more modern drugs have appeared, and surgical interventions for an enlarged prostate are rarely resorted to. Most often, the operation is performed in cases where there are factors that aggravate the patient's condition, or drug therapy has not helped. Surgery is done if:
- bleeding from the urethra began;
- had serious problems with urination;
- there are bladder stones;
- acute urinary retention appeared;
- there is incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- drug treatment proved ineffective;
- complications appeared - impaired kidney function, inflammation and so on.
Features of the surgicalinterventions
Surgery, which is performed with an enlarged prostate, is an effective and radical method of therapy, but at the same time quite dangerous. This is the development of undesirable consequences after surgery. The patient may experience problems with potency, as well as uncontrolled leakage of fluid from the bladder and narrowing of the urethra. Surgery is not recommended if the patient has:
- diabetes mellitus;
- severe diseases of the kidneys, lungs, heart;
- mental disorders;
- cirrhosis of the liver.
The most common way to treat an enlarged prostate through surgery is transurethral surgery and prostatectomy. In the first case, the removal of the gland is carried out through the urethra, and in the second - by cutting the abdominal wall.
If left untreated
What if the prostate is enlarged? What to do if such a pathology occurs? If the cause of the development of the disease is not identified in time, complications may appear. First of all, the bladder will not empty completely. It will gradually accumulate fluid, which, ultimately, will lead to the growth of microorganisms and the development of an infectious disease. It is not uncommon for stones to form under these circumstances.
In this case, the vessels located on the inner surface will be subject to regular damage. This can lead to blood in the urine. A similar symptom may occur due to stretching of the tissues of the bladder. If at this stage the man does not applyto the doctor, the disease will progress. As a result, urine will begin to flow back to the kidneys, which will later lead to kidney failure.
It is for this reason that it is worth paying attention to even minor symptoms. If prostate adenoma is enlarged and the disease is not treated, then irreversible consequences may occur.
Finally
If the prostate is enlarged, you should immediately visit a doctor. In the absence of adequate treatment, the pathology will continue to develop, which will eventually lead to irreversible consequences. Do not put off visiting the clinic. Timely treatment will help to avoid the development of prostate cancer.
