Prostate problems usually occur in men over the age of 50. It is therefore advisable to start regular screening after the age of 50. (Image: Shutterstock)
Dr. Nagareddy.S. Patil ,,Consultant Urologist, Fortis Hospital, Richmond Road, Bangalore sheds light on prostate health in men, which is often neglected but needs to be taken care of
The prostate gland isn’t huge — about the size of a walnut — but its location pretty much guarantees major trouble if something goes wrong and don’t keep an eye on it.
The prostate gland is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It also wraps around the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. That means prostate problems can affect urination and sexual function.
Busy days make it difficult to put prostate health at the forefront. It just feels like you don’t have time for habits that keep the tiny organ in top shape.
The prostate is prone to three main conditions:
- prostatitis:
It is an infection or inflammation of the prostate. There are two main types: acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis.
Acute prostatitis is caused by an infection, usually by bacteria, and results in a sudden onset of painful urination, a small stream, and often fever and chills.
Chronic prostatitis is a less well-defined condition. Symptoms include persistent or recurrent pelvic discomfort, pain or burning when urinating, an increased urge to urinate, difficulty emptying the bladder, and/or painful ejaculation.
Treatment involves a long course of antibiotics – because the infection is difficult to remove. - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH):
Bigger is not better! It is an aging-related enlargement of the prostate gland. As the prostate enlarges, it effectively squeezes the urethra, forcing the muscular walls of the bladder to work harder and causing problems with urination. Symptoms may include a weak stream of urine, nighttime urination, dribbling after urinating, and a stream that stops and goes. This may seem like more of an annoyance than anything, but they can cause more serious problems, including the inability to completely empty your bladder, urinary retention (complete blockage), infections, backup in the kidneys, or bladder stones. Treatment includes – medications to improve urine flow, surgical procedures – endoscopic (TURP, laser-based, UroLift, etc.) and open methods. - prostate cancer:
It is the growth of cancer cells in the prostate, which can break out of the gland and affect other parts of the body. It is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, with an estimated 1.4 million diagnoses worldwide by 2020. Prostate cancer is primarily a “disease of aging”. A systematic review of autopsy studies reported a prevalence by age < 30 jaar van 5% en een prevalentie van 59% op een leeftijd > 79 years.
Prostate cancer can be life-threatening. If detected early, it is highly curable, but early prostate cancer may have no symptoms. Prostate problems usually occur in men over the age of 50. It is therefore advisable to start regular screening after the age of 50. But men with a family history of it — and African-American men — should start screening at age 40.
The two most commonly performed screening tests are – a blood test (serum PSA) and a digital rectal exam. Serum PSA is not an end-all-be-all screening. It’s a fair test, but nothing is absolute.
The goal is early detection, because the cure rate of prostate cancer found at a lower stage is very high.
- Treatments have the range of what you would expect –
Surgery, radiation, hormonal manipulation, chemotherapy, biological therapy, or simply monitoring are options, with different treatments appropriate for different types of prostate cancer. - Prevention – Sort of:
Eating a largely plant-based diet and exercise have been suggested to prevent cancer in general. Processed foods, smoking, alcohol and red meat should be avoided. - Here’s one last prostate piece of advice:
Frequent ejaculation would be an advantage in preventing prostate cancer.
