An enlarged prostate is often found during examination by a doctor during a medical examination. Resizing most often occurs as a result of the course of the inflammatory process. As a result of such a phenomenon, the patient may develop prostatitis. It is impossible to determine the cause of the increase in tissue size independently. Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor if you detect symptoms of the disease.
What is the prostate
The prostate is a small sized gland. In shape, it resembles 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 such a symptom occurs, 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 disease. Only a qualified 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, young people increase testosterone production. As a result of this, there is an enlargement of the prostate. Fully iron begins to function at the age of 17.
In a subsequent period of 20 years, prostate growth slows significantly. Iron does not cause problems. It is worth noting that an enlarged prostate occurs only in 10% of men, whose age is 30 years.
On this, the growth of the prostate gland does not stop. The second surge occurs in 40 years. 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, gland growth is considered normal, and such a process proceeds evenly and without symptoms. However, the prostate, enlarged after 40 years, needs therapy. When this phenomenon occurs, the urethra is the first to suffer. It is strongly compressed, which leads to some difficulty in emptying the bladder. Doctors called this condition benign hyperplasia. The second name of such a pathology is prostate adenoma.
In most cases, hyperplasia begins to progress. As a result, the man stops completely emptying his bladder, as the urethra is constricted more. The problems do not end there. It is worth noting 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 in the early stages.
Symptoms of pathology
An enlarged prostate can bother a man very much. The main symptom of the pathology is difficulty in urinating. This symptom of disorders occurs in almost all patients who have encountered such a problem.
Symptoms of the disease can be mild. After all, the pressure of an enlarged prostate can be compensated to some extent by the muscles of the bladder itself. An enlarged prostate usually presses on the urethra. This may indicate interrupted or suppressed urine flow. In addition to these signs, the patient may experience:
- discomfort arising 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 is concerned. Treatment also depends on these indicators.
Other symptoms
If the prostate is enlarged by 2 times, then the fluid collected in the bladder can cause irritation. Symptoms of the disease in this case will be different:
- pain that occurs during urination;
- incontinence - loss of control over the process of urination;
- frequent urination, especially at night;
- a sense of urgency, which is accompanied by a desire to urinate.
Enlarged Prostate: Causes
Treatment of the 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 called 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, prostate cells are stimulated.
- Genetic predisposition. Prostate cell growth can be programmed into adulthood.
- Prostate cancer
- A variety of infectious diseases accompanied by an inflammatory process.
The main methods of therapy
What to do if the prostate is enlarged? How to treat such a pathology? Only a narrow specialist can answer these questions. Currently, there are several main areas: surgical, medical treatment and the observational method. The choice of the method of therapy depends on what factor influenced the stimulation of the growth of glandular cells, as well as on how much tissue increased in size.
It is simply impossible to choose the appropriate method yourself. Only a doctor can do this. 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 method of therapy for an 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 correction.
What to do while waiting
If the observation method is chosen, the patient should reduce the amount of fluid consumed during the day. For two hours before going to bed, you can not drink anything.
It is necessary to completely eliminate the use of alcohol. When visiting the toilet, the bladder must be completely empty. Before taking any diuretic, you should carefully study its side effects. Do not take medicines without consulting specialists. Uncontrolled treatment of the symptoms of the disease can exacerbate the situation.
Drug treatment
If the prostate is enlarged in a man and the observation method has not brought the 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;
- after a lifestyle change, no change has occurred.
Features of drug therapy
If the method of observation is not suitable and the patient does not show improvement, then the doctor may prescribe medications. They should be taken only as directed. Do not exceed the dosage permitted by the doctor. The required number of drugs is determined after determining the cause of the enlargement of the prostate and examination. When prescribing, the specialist also takes into account the symptoms described by the patient. For therapy can be prescribed:
- hormones;
- alpha blockers;
- herbal remedies;
- antimicrobial agents;
- homeopathic remedies;
- polyene antibiotics;
- antitumor and antiparkinsonian medicines.
Herbal Treatment
Even in antiquity, various herbs tried to overcome the increase in the prostate. At the moment, this kind of therapy offers many collections of medicinal plants, which mainly include extracts.
The effectiveness of such drugs depends on how much they contain phytosterols. Such drugs can reduce the production of prostaglandin in the prostate, relieve the inflammatory process, completely or slow down the active growth of tissue cells. Such drugs are taken only as directed by a doctor.
Hormone intake
Hormonal drugs can normalize the process of active growth of prostate tissue. With the development of pathology, estrogens and androgens are of particular importance. The latter block the synthesis of testosterone. They can also affect the androgenic effects at the level of the prostate or hypothalamus-pituitary gland.
Hormonal drugs can not only normalize urination, but also reduce the size of the prostate tissue. 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.
Surgical intervention
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, a similar method of therapy was considered the most effective. However, more modern drugs have appeared, and surgery is rarely done with an enlarged prostate. Most often, an operation is performed in cases where there are factors that exacerbate the patient’s condition, or drug therapy did not help. Surgical intervention is performed if:
- started bleeding from the urethra;
- serious problems with the process of urination;
- there are stones in the bladder;
- acute urination delays appeared;
- incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- drug treatment was ineffective;
- complications appeared - impaired renal function, inflammatory process and so on.
Features of surgical intervention
An operation that is performed with an enlarged prostate is an effective and radical method of therapy, but at the same time quite dangerous. This consists in the development of undesirable consequences after surgery. The patient may have 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:
- diabetes;
- severe diseases of the kidneys, lungs, heart;
- mental disorders;
- cirrhosis of the liver.
The most common way to treat an enlarged prostate by surgery is transurethral surgery and prostatectomy. In the first case , the gland is removed through the urethra, and in the second, by cutting the abdominal wall.
If not treated
What if the prostate is enlarged? What to do when such a pathology occurs? If you do not identify the cause of the development of the disease in time, then complications may appear. First of all, the bladder will not be completely empty. Liquid will gradually accumulate in it, which, ultimately, will lead to the growth of microorganisms and the development of an infectious disease. Often under such circumstances stones form.
In this case, 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 bladder tissue. If at this stage a man does not consult a doctor, then the disease will progress. As a result, urine will begin to flow back into the kidneys, which will subsequently lead to the occurrence of renal failure.
For this reason, it is worth paying attention even to minor symptoms. If the prostate adenoma is enlarged and the disease is not treated, then irreversible consequences may occur.
In conclusion
If the prostate is enlarged, then you should immediately visit a doctor. In the absence of adequate treatment, the pathology will develop further, which will ultimately lead to irreversible consequences. Do not postpone the visit to the clinic. Timely treatment will avoid the development of prostate cancer.