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| Prostate Disease | |
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Prostate disease affects older men. The prostate gland is normally about the size of a large walnut, and sits below the bladder. The urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder to the penis, runs through the middle of the prostate. The gland also makes the semen, which carries and nourishes sperm. After about the age of 50 - although it does vary - the prostate gland slowly hardens and enlarges, and this is known as benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH . Symptoms of this include hesitancy (waiting to start to pass urine), a poor stream, and dribbling afterwards. You might also find that you need to get up through the night more often to pass water, and also that you go more frequently during the daytime. If you are developing some of these symptoms, the doctor will be able to assess the prostate gland by what the Americans call DRE - digital rectal examination. It is easy to feel the prostate through the wall of the rectum, and an examination will show whether the gland is enlarged, and whether this enlargement is uniform and smooth, or irregular. Further investigation of prostate function includes a flow rate assessment - a very slightly sophisticated way of peeing into a bucket! - and a blood test, known as PSA. Further tests such as ultrasound examination can also be done if indicated. Treatment of BPH may be by medication, or sometimes an operation is indicated. Surprisingly, cancer of the prostate does not always need treatment. Some types of prostate cancer progress very slowly, and simply need monitoring carefully. In other cases, treatment resolves around manipulating the male hormone testosterone. This can be achieved with drugs, surgery or radiotherapy. |
