Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer

As you age as a man, you may have to confront certain conditions of the male reproductive system. Nodular prostatic hyperplasia is one of them. Many times men hear about nodular prostatic hyperplasia as being called BPH ( benign prostatic hyperplasia ). In men over the age of 50, it is quite common. Probably ¼ of the male population, over the age of 50, have some degree of prostatic hyperplasia.

Prostatic Hyperplasia Statistics

By the time a man has attained the age of 80, he has only a 10% chance of not having some form of hyperplasia, meaning that 90% of the men over 80 have it. Of course, the interesting thing about prostatic hyperplasia is that it frequently does not present any bothersome symptoms and generally doesn’t require surgery or medication of any kind.

Causes of Prostatic Hyperplasia

Prostatic hyperplasia generally develops due to the dihydrotestosterone in the accumulated prostate. When the dihydrotestosterone accumulates, it binds the nuclear hormone receptors. This in turn will trigger growth.

A normal and healthy prostate weighs about 20 to 30 gm. When a man has an enlarged prostate, it will weigh up to 100 gm. The inner most zone of the prostate is where hyperplasia begins.

Prostatic Hyperplasia Treatment

When this does occur, and growth is present, most doctors will respond with drug therapy for their patients. In order to reduce the growth of the enzyme 5-alpha and stop the growth, several drugs can be used. This will especially shrink the enlarged prostate and the male should be able to live without bothersome symptoms of any sort. Finasteride and episteride are both drugs used for prostatic hyperplasia.

Other drugs that are used to control prostatic hyperplasia are the alpha 1-adrenoreceptors. These are used to reduce the prostate and help throw away any possible or future obstruction. Drugs like prazosin, alfuzosin, indoramin, terazosin, doxazosin, and tamsulosin are used for this purpose.

Drug Therapy For Prostatic Hyperplasia

Prostatic hyperplasia can be controlled with drug therapy, but the therapy must be ongoing in order for it to be most effective. If a male stops the treatment, chances are the problem will occur again and possibly more rapidly.

If you believe you may be affected by prostatic hyperplasia, you should see your doctor immediately. You should not suffer with this condition, as there are medical treatments that you can undergo to help you with any symptoms you may have.

Prostate Symptoms

Prostate problems are often ignored by men. They often begin showing up via urinary problems. You may have trouble urinating, have blood in your urine, or even urinate too often. In addition, general pain in the area of the prostate is a way to detect their may be something wrong.

Prostatic hyperplasia most often does not mean you have prostate cancer. It simply means you have enlarged prostate and you may be in discomfort. So, do get it checked by your doctor yearly and take his or her advice. You must take your medication as directed and carry on it for the rest of your life, if you wish to have no symptoms forever.