Categories Kidney and urinary tract

Symptoms of enlarged prostate

Symptoms of enlarged prostate

The prostate

The prostate gland resembles a walnut, a part of a man’s genitals that also includes a penis, scrotum, and testicles. The prostate secretes part of the semen which is a combination of sperm and prostate secretions, located in front of the rectum, under the bladder, and surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder. The prostate passes through the urine and semen flowing through the urethra which is a tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body, and carries sperm through the penis during ejaculation. The prostate is exposed to a number of diseases including prostate enlargement, prostate inflammation, and prostate cancer.

Prostate enlargement

Benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate enlargement occurs in almost all men as they age, and nearly half of men over the age of 75 have some symptoms of enlarged prostate. When enlarged prostate size surrounding the urethra may press or partially block the urethra, causing problems when urinating.

Symptoms of enlarged prostate

Symptoms of prostate enlargement include:

  • Frequent or urgent need to urinate : Many men who suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia feel the need to urinate frequently especially at night. The frequency of urination by the National Institutes of Health is known as the need to urinate eight times or more per day.
  • Difficulty urinating: People with prostate enlargement have difficulty urinating because of increased prostate pressure on the urethra, and can lead to the closure of the urethra, making it difficult to start the flow of urine, or weakness, or cutting, especially at the end of urination.
  • Feeling of pain during urination or ejaculation: Prostate enlargement causes pressure on the urinary tract and genital tract, and thus feeling pain during urination and ejaculation. Pain may be caused by infection, a common complication of prostate enlargement.
  • Falling blood during urination, change the smell and color of urine: Urinary retention leads to a change in color and odor, which indicate inflammation of the urinary tract, and produces blood from the expansion of veins on the surface of the enlarged prostate.
  • Urinary retention: This may require urgent intervention by the doctor to introduce a tube known as the catheter in the bladder to discharge the urine.
  • Urinary tract infections: Inability to discharge the bladder from urine can cause bacterial growth in the bladder, leading to urinary tract infection. These infections may cause foul smelling or bloody urine.
  • Bladder damage and kidneys: Failure to empty the bladder causes an increase in the thickness of the bladder, thus losing its ability to contract normally. This makes it more difficult to completely empty the bladder. Urinary retention may cause infections that begin in the bladder and spread to the kidneys. Prostate enlargement may also strain the bladder. Kidneys.
  • Bladder stones: Bladder stones are solid crystals of minerals in the bladder that are formed when the urine becomes too concentrated to not completely empty the bladder. These gravel can cause:
    • Severe infections.
    • Blood in the urine.
    • Bladder irritation.
    • Urinary flow obstruction.

Diagnosis of prostatic hypertrophy

Your doctor can diagnose prostate enlargement using the following measures:

  • Study of urine flow rate: During the test, the patient empties his bladder, and the doctor uses a special device to detect low urine flow.
  • Digital rectal examination: In this examination, the doctor will feel the prostate through the rectum to detect the presence of tumors in the prostate or prostate cancer.
  • Prostate Specific Antigen Screening (PSA) : Which indicates a rise from the normal level to the existence of prostate disorders, including prostate cancer.
  • Cystoscopy: In this examination, the doctor inserts a thin tube with a small light at the end called the cystoscope through the urethral opening in the penis. The cystoscope contains a camera that allows the doctor to examine the inside of the prostate, the urethra, and the bladder.
  • Ultrasonic examination: The doctor uses an ultrasound probe to obtain photos of the prostate to see how much inflation is in it.
  • Biopsy of the prostate: In this examination, the doctor takes a small portion of the prostate tissue for examination under the microscope.
  • Examination of sound waves across the abdominal wall: This test can be performed to measure the size of the prostate and the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urination.
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): MRI provides an accurate picture of the condition of the prostate.

Treatment of prostate enlargement

Options for treating prostate enlargement depend on several factors including:

  • The severity of symptoms.
  • Prostate size.
  • Age of the patient.
  • Public health of the patient.

Treatment options include:

  • Alpha-inhibitor drugs: Which leads to relaxation of the muscle fibers of the prostate and urinary bladder, which facilitates the exit of urine during urination.
  • Alpha-reductase inhibitors: These drugs affect male hormones that cause prostate enlargement, which causes the gland to stop and shrink its size.
  • Microwave wave therapy Which generate heat that destroys the inner part of the enlarged prostate gland, which reduces the size of the prostate and facilitate the flow of urine.
  • Prostate removal of the prostate through the urethra through radio waves : In this procedure is passed a telescope in the urethra, and then the doctor using a telescope to place needles in certain places in the prostate gland, and then pass the radio waves, which in turn, heating and destruction of prostate tissue that block the flow of urine.
  • surgeries These include:
    • Transurethral Prostatectomy (TRUP). This option does not require open surgery or external incision, in which the surgeon removes the prostate tissue that obstructs the urethra using a special microscope.
    • Transurethral Prostate (TUIP): The surgeon performs a groove in the prostate gland to open a channel in the urethra to pass urine.
    • Prostate laser surgery, through which laser beams are passed to the urethra and break up or dissolve the prostate tissue that hampers the urethra.
    • Open prostatectomy The surgeon performs an opening or incision in the lower abdomen to reach the prostate and remove the part that obstructs passage of the urine.

Diet and prostate health

A diet rich in vitamins and minerals can keep the prostate healthy and prevent its enlargement. Weight gain is a risk factor that can increase the risk of prostate problems, making healthy meals an important factor in weight loss and prevention of prostate disease. Here are the most important foods and herbs that are recommended for prostate health:

  • Eat foods rich in zinc: Zinc is an important component of prostate health, according to a study published in the Indian Journal of Urology. Men with hyperplasia or prostate cancer have a low level of zinc. Zinc can be obtained by eating sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds and couplings. , Small red beans).
  • Eat rich sources of omega-3 Which works on weight loss and prevention of prostate enlargement, and is rich in omega-3 salmon, ground flaxseed, walnut, shea seeds, and canola oil.
  • Eat vegetables rich in vitamin C. Such as broccoli, sweet peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cabbage and tomatoes.
  • Eat foods rich in lycopene (Of carotenoids, which gives red color to some vegetables and fruits), one study reported that lycopene works to prevent prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. The food is rich in tomato lycopene, watermelon, apricot, pink grapefruit, papaya, and avocado.
  • Eat foods rich in beta-sitosterol Reduces the symptoms associated with prostate enlargement such as lack of urine flow, and not completely emptying the bladder. Sources of beta-sitosterol avocados, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, soybeans, American walnuts.
  • Eat plenty of vegetables Helps reduce the risk of prostate enlargement, green leafy vegetables are especially important because they are rich in antioxidants. Also broccoli, onions, garlic.
  • Eat soy isoflavone sources It reduces the growth of cancer cells in the prostate and relieves the symptoms of prostate enlargement. The sources of this substance are tofu, soy milk, soy milk, and roasted soybeans.
  • Treat the saw palmetto (A small shrub, 1-2 meters high, also known as Sabal) inhibits the action of the enzyme that changes testosterone and reduces prostate enlargement.
  • Eating cactus flowers: Cactus flowers reduce the complications of prostate enlargement, and have a role in cleaning the urinary tract, prevent inflammation, and prevent the formation of kidney stones.