Prostate enlargement: causes and treatment

Prostate enlargement is often found when examined by a doctor during a medical examination. The change in size most often occurs as a result of the course of the inflammatory process. As a result of this phenomenon, the patient can develop prostatitis. It is impossible to determine the cause of the increase in tissue size. Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor if you have any symptoms of ailment.

What is the prostate

The prostate is a gland with small dimensions. It looks like a chestnut in shape. The gland is located under the bladder and in front of the rectum: on the top of the urethra. Prostate is one of the main components of the reproductive system of men. 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, it is necessary to visit a doctor. An enlarged prostate needs immediate therapy.

For the beginning it is recommended to pass a thorough examination and establish the cause of the disease. Only a qualified specialist can correctly diagnose and prescribe adequate therapy.

What you need to know about an enlarged prostate

Prostate enlargement indicates the presence of certain pathologies in the body. When a boy is just born, his prostate gland has a tiny size. During puberty, young people develop testosterone production. As a result, prostate enlargement occurs. Fully iron begins to function at the age of 17.

In the subsequent period, equal to 20 years, the growth of the prostate greatly slows down. Iron does not cause problems. It is worth noting that the enlarged prostate occurs only in 10% of men, whose age is 30 years.

On this growth of the prostate gland does not stop. The second splash occurs in 40 years. More than 50% of men by the age of 60 suffer from prostate enlargement in size, and by 80 years - 90%.

Code required treatment

During puberty, the growth of the gland is normal and this process proceeds evenly and without symptoms. However, the prostate, enlarged after 40 years, needs therapy. When this occurs, the urethra is the first to suffer. It strongly squeezes, which leads to some difficulty in emptying the bladder. To a similar condition doctors attributed the name "benign hyperplasia". The second name of this 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 compressed more strongly. This is not the end of the problem. 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 early on.

Symptoms of pathology

The prostate, enlarged in size, can very much disturb the man. The main symptom of pathology is difficulty in the process of urination. This sign of violations occurs in almost all patients who have encountered such a problem.

Symptoms of ailment can be mild. After all, the pressure of the enlarged prostate can be compensated to some extent by the muscles of the bladder itself. An enlarged prostate usually presses against the urethra. This may indicate an interrupted or squeezed flow of urine. In addition to these signs, the patient may experience:

• Discomfort that occurs with incomplete emptying of the bladder;
• Urine in some cases continues to drip even after urination;
• Difficulty in the process of urination.

The severity of these symptoms depends on whether the enlarged prostate is worried. Treatment also depends on these indicators.

Other signs

If the prostate is enlarged 2 times, then the fluid collected in the bladder can cause irritation. Symptoms of the disease in this case will be different:

• Painful sensations arising in the process of urination;
• Incontinence - loss of control over the process of urination;
• Frequent urge to urinate, especially at night;
• A sense of urgency, which is accompanied by a desire to urinate.

Enlarged prostate: causes

Treatment of the disease begins by determining the cause of its development. Therefore, it is worth to go through a thorough examination. Among the main causes of the development of pathology are:

• The growth of the prostate gland stimulates an increase in the production of estrogen and a decrease in the formation of testosterone.
• 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 decreasing. As a result, stimulation of the cells of the prostate gland occurs.
• Genetic predisposition. The growth of prostate cells can be programmed in adulthood.
• Prostate cancer.
• A variety of infectious diseases, accompanied by an inflammatory process.

The main methods of therapy

What if the prostate is enlarged? How to treat this pathology? And these questions can be answered only by a specialist of a narrow profile. At the moment, there are several main areas: surgical, drug treatment and observational. The choice of the method of therapy depends on what factor influenced the stimulation of the growth of the gland cells, as well as the extent to which the tissues increased in size.

It is simply impossible to find a suitable way for yourself. Only a doctor can do this. Do not try to identify the cause of pathology. Self-medication in this case can cause the development of serious complications.

Observational method

This method of treating an enlarged prostate is selected 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 medication and experience their side effects.
• If the number of symptoms decreased significantly after a lifestyle change.

What to do while waiting

If the method of observation is chosen, the patient should reduce the amount of liquid 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 alcoholic beverages. When you visit the toilet you need to completely empty the bladder. Before taking any diuretic, you should carefully examine its side effects. Do not take medication without consulting a specialist. Uncontrolled treatment of the symptoms of the disease can aggravate the situation.

Medication

If the prostate is enlarged in a man and the method of observation does not bring proper results, then medication is prescribed. This method is justified if:

• Patient monitoring did not help;
• There is a risk of serious complications;
• After a change in the way of life, there was no change.

Features of drug therapy

If the surveillance method does not fit and the patient does not experience any improvement, the doctor may prescribe medication. They should be taken only for their intended purpose. Do not exceed the dosage allowed by your doctor. The necessary amount of drugs is determined after determining the cause of prostate enlargement and examination. At appointment the expert also considers and the signs described by the patient. For therapy can be appointed:

• Hormones;
• Alpha-blockers;
• Phytopreparations;
• Antimicrobial agents;
• Homeopathic preparations;
• Polyene antibiotics;
• Antineoplastic and antiparkinsonian medicines.

Treatment with phytopreparations

Even in antiquity, prostate enlargement was attempted by various herbs. At the moment, this kind of therapy offers many collections of medicinal plants, mainly composed of extracts.

The effectiveness of such remedies depends on how much they contain phytosterols. Such drugs can reduce the production of prostaglandin in the prostate, remove the inflammatory process, stop completely or slow down the active growth of tissue cells. These drugs are taken only for the doctor's prescription.

Admission of hormones

Hormonal preparations allow to normalize the process of active growth of prostate tissue. With the development of pathology, estrogen and androgens are of particular importance. The latter block the synthesis of testosterone. They can also affect androgenic effects on the damage to 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. Especially it is necessary to allocate such infringements, as depression of an impotence and a sexual inclination. Do not take any hormones on your own.

Surgical intervention

A doctor can prescribe an operation if the patient has enlarged the prostate. The causes of the development of the disease can hide in the formation of tumors. It should be noted that not so long ago this method of therapy was considered the most effective. However, more modern medicines have appeared, and surgical interventions with an enlarged prostate are rarely resorted to. Most often, the operation is performed in those cases, if there are factors aggravating the patient's condition, or medication has not helped. Surgical intervention is performed if:

• Bleeding started from the urethra;
• There were serious problems with the process of urination;
• There are stones in the bladder;
• Acute urination retention;
• Incomplete emptying of the bladder;
• Drug therapy was ineffective;
• There were complications - a violation of the kidneys, inflammatory process and so on.

Features of surgical intervention

The operation, which is performed with an enlarged prostate is an effective and radical method of therapy, but it is quite dangerous. This is the development of undesirable consequences after surgery. The patient may have problems with potency, as well as uncontrolled flow of fluid from the bladder and narrowing of the urethra. It is not recommended to perform an operation if the patient has:

• 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 by 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 in case of such a pathology? If you do not find out the cause of the disease in time, complications may appear. First of all, the bladder will not be completely emptied. It will gradually accumulate liquid, which, in the final analysis, will lead to the growth of microorganisms and the development of an infectious disease. Often under such circumstances, stones are formed.

In this case, the vessels located on the inner surface will be subject to regular damage. This can lead to the appearance of blood in the urine. A similar symptom may occur due to stretching of the bladder tissue. If the man does not consult a doctor at this stage, the disease will progress. As a result, urine will begin to flow back into the kidneys, which in the future will lead to their insufficiency.

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, irreversible consequences can begin.

In conclusion

If the prostate is enlarged, it is worthwhile to visit a doctor immediately. In the absence of adequate treatment, pathology will develop further, which will eventually lead to irreversible consequences. Do not delay the visit to the clinic. Timely treatment will avoid the development of prostate cancer.