Enlarged Prostate: Know More about It, Know How to Treat It

by Judy Wellsworth

Males are always viewed supreme over the years because of their strength and capability. That is, of course, until they have enlarged prostate. A patient with enlarged prostate has to undergo so much pain and the difficulty is unbearable. People suffering from this problem are deprived from the fun in life along with a feeling of frustration and depression.

Enlarged prostate, other name for benign prostatic hyperplasia has no known cause. Various ongoing researches about the condition still don't possess the root cause of the continuous enlargement of the prostate. The only reason visible and clear is that the man's ageing process causes prostate to grow bigger.

Causes of Enlarged Prostate:

The cause of prostate cancer isn't fully understood at present. But there are certain factors that make prostate cancer more likely, which are listed below. The risk of prostate cancer increases steadily with age and it is rare in men under 50. Your risk is higher if you have close relatives (a father, uncle or brother) who have had prostate cancer. If several women in your family have had breast cancer an inherited faulty gene may be present. The gene may also increase the risk of the men in that family getting prostate cancer. As the prostate grows larger, the urethra is squeezed more tightly and the result causes the bladder muscle to force urine through the narrowed urethra by contracting more powerfully. The bladder then becomes thicker and more sensitive causing the need for a man to urinate for often. Arising from this situation is the symptoms of difficulty in urinating caused by narrower urethra. When symptoms like this starts to appear, visiting a doctor is the most appropriate thing to do. When enlarged prostate is detected, proper treatment will be prescribed.

Medication for Enlarged Prostate:

Drug medication is one of the widely accepted and prescribed enlarged prostate treatments. A lot of drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America for enlarged prostate treatment such as Finasteride (Proscar) and Dutasteride (Avodart) to name a few. Drugs like these aims to stop or prevent further enlargement and intends to shrink the size of the prostate.

Surgical options for prostate enlargement is often the most effective long-term option for more serious complications resulting from enlarged prostate but it is now less common because of other alternative therapies which are effective and less invasive. All surgical procedures require hospital in-patient care, a general anesthetic and time off work. Side effects can arise from surgical procedure. They vary from nerve or structural damage, infection, loss of bladder control, impotence and ejaculation problems.

One of the surgical methods approved by FDA is transurethral microwave thermotherapy or TUMT. This procedure makes use of a catheter in transporting microwaves that are computer-regulated to the prostate. 111 degrees Fahrenheit heat is traveling through the catheter that is later distributed to various portions of the prostate.

Transurethral needle ablation (TUNA), also called radiofrequency therapy, is an outpatient procedure that uses radio waves to heat and destroy the part of your prostate that's blocking urine flow. During this procedure, a cystoscope is passed into the urethra and needles are placed in the prostate gland under visual guidance. Radio waves pass through the needles and heat the prostate and destroy the blockage

There are many other enlarged prostate treatments prescribed by the doctor after thorough medical tests are conducted on the patient. Tests like digital rectal exam, urine flow analysis, and prostate specific antigen blood test are just a few of the many other tests carried out.

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You can also find more info on laser prostate and enlarged prostate. Prostatecancertreatmenthelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know more about prostate cancer treatment.

source:www.goarticles.com/