According to Malaysia Urological Association’s estimation, every one out of two man aged 50 years old or above will be affected by symptomatic Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Nowadays, BPH is becoming a very common illness among adult males. Despite its high prevalence, many of us are having no clue about this disease. Today, we will reveal the true identity of BPH to all of you! Keep reading on!
What is Prostate? What is Benign Prostate Hyperplasia?
Prostate is a walnut-sized gland, located between urinary bladder and penis. The urethra (a tube which transmits urine from the urinary bladder to the exterior of the body) runs through the center of the prostate, letting urine flow out of the body. Prostate gland secretes fluid which protects and nourishes sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate will contract and squirts the fluid into urethra together with the sperm as semen.
Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disorder characterized with non-cancerous growth of prostate gland. BPH increases in incidence with age, especially in those aged more than 50 years old. The prevalence of BPH in male aged>60 years old is more than 50% and almost 90% of male aged more than 85 years old will be affected by BPH.
So, you may wonder, what is the effect of an enlarged prostate gland to the body since it is not cancerous. As the prostate gland keep growing in size, an enlarged prostate will compress and gradually obstructs the urethra, reducing the urine flow gradually, and in later stage, patient have to strain to aid the flow.
As the disease progresses, patient may experience various uncomfortable urinary symptoms such as frequent and urgent to urinate, nocturia (increased frequency of urination at night). difficulty to start urination, having a weak urine stream (a urine that starts and stops), dribbling at the end of urination and inability to completely empty the bladder.
Now, we have a rough idea of prostate, BPH and its common symptoms. In Part II, we will discuss on how to diagnose BPH and its treatment. Stay tuned if you wan to know more!