Prostate Talk » Prostate Health

For men over 50, the most common prostate problem is prostate enlargement

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:27:43 +0000

For men over 50, the most common prostate problem is prostate enlargement, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (buh-NYN prah-STAT-ihk HEYE-pur-PLAY-zhuh). As the prostate grows, it squeezes the urethra, causing urinary problems. Some of these problems include:

A frequent and urgent need to urinate
Trouble starting a urine stream, even though you feel you have to rush to get to the bathroom
A weak stream of urine
A small amount of urine each time you go
The feeling that you still have to go, even when you have just finished urinating
Waking up to urinate more than once or twice a night
Leaking or dribbling urine
Small amounts of blood in your urine

It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of prostate enlargement. Your doctor might suggest that you “wait and see” if your symptoms don’t bother you too much. Or, you can discuss treatment options if symptoms are or become so bothersome that you can’t enjoy life.

Source: the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Prostatitis is an infection or inflammation of the prostate

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:31:15 +0000

Prostatitis is an infection or inflammation of the prostate that often causes pain or discomfort. The pain may be in the penis, around the rectum, or in the pelvic area. It may occur during urination or ejaculation. Prostatitis is the most common prostate problem for men younger than 50. Prostatitis can come on suddenly, or it can keep going away and coming back. There are different types of prostatitis. A sudden infection can give you symptoms such as:

Fever, chills, and nausea
Pain and burning when urinating and during ejaculation
Strong and frequent urge to urinate, but only being able to pass small amounts of urine
Lower back or abdominal pain
Blood in the urine

See your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms. An acute infection can be life-threatening, but it can be easy to diagnose and treat.

Chronic prostatitis is the most common but least understood form of prostatitis. It is also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome. It is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are not the same for every patient, and many of the symptoms — such as painful or burning urination and incomplete emptying of the bladder — could be signs of another disease. Chronic pelvic pain cannot be cured, but treatment helps many men manage their symptoms.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

The prostate is a gland that surrounds the urethra

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:38:43 +0000

Most young men are not concerned about their prostate. If you’re a man and over the age 50, you’re going to hear about it a lot. The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. A young man’s prostate is about the size of a walnut. It slowly grows larger with age. If it gets too large, it can cause problems. The older men get, the more likely they are to have prostate problems.

The three most common prostate problems are prostatitis (pross-tuh-TYT-uhss), prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer. Although most prostate problems are not cancer, prostate cancer affects many men. Talking to your doctor about prostate problems and whether screening is the right choice for you will protect your prostate health and overall health.

Source: Office on Women’s health

Deaths from Prostate Cancer

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:55:38 +0000

Although prostate cancer is not the deadliest cancer, it can still cause death among patients. According the to National Cancer Institute, there were 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer found in the US in 2010. There were also 32,050 documented deaths from prostate cancer in 2010 in the US alone.

So even though health professionals might tell you getting prostate cancer is not all that bad, just like skin cancer, people still die from it. 32,050 is not a small number. The best way to prevent prostate cancer is screening. So if you’re 50 and older, and have family history of prostate problems, check with your doctor and schedule a screening every year.

What is chronic abacterial prostatitis

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:11:17 +0000

Among all the non cancer prostate problems, chronic abacterial prostatitis also known as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS), is a common prostate problem and occurs mostly in young to middle-aged men. Although most men will experience some form of prostate issues as they age, most of these symptoms are not life threatening. Chronic abacterial prostatitis causes pain in the lower back, between the legs, or at the tip of the penis. Men with this problem often have painful ejaculation and need to urinate frequently.

If you experience these discomfort, talk to your doctor. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed and are proven to be helpful. However the condition is very hard to treat and may require more than one treatment.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Causes and Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

admin — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:04:21 +0000

Although scientists don’t know exactly what causes prostate cancer, they’re not sure why one man gets prostate cancer and another does not, they have been able to identify some risk factors that are associated with the disease. The known biggest risk factor is age.

Although the disease is extremely rare in men under age 40, the risk increases greatly with age. More than 60 percent of cases are diagnosed in men over age 65. The average age at the time of diagnosis is 65. Most men experience some form of prostate problems after 50, however, not all prostate problems develop into prostate cancer. Family history is another big factor. If a man’s brother and father had the disease, he’ll be more likely to develop it also.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Where does prostate cancer form?

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:57:44 +0000

Prostate cancer forms in the tissues of the prostate. Unlike many other forms of cancer, prostate cancer grows slowly. Most cancer patients have only the early prostate cancer. The cancer cells are only found in the prostate gland. Although both prostate and skin cancer are the most common cancer in American men, few die from them.

There were 186,000 cases were found in America in 2008, most of those men will live a long time with prostate cancer. Many cancer patient have died from other causes, other than prostate cancer. However, prostate cancer patients can still die from it. I

If you are worried about the disease and you’re over 50, check with your doctor. Especially if you have family members who has had prostate issues.

Source: the National Cancer Institute

Treatment for prostate cancer works best when the disease is found early

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:58:59 +0000

Did you know that the treatment for prostate cancer works best when the disease is found early. Even though prostate cancer is common among American men, very few men die from prostate cancer. But this does not mean that you can just sit back and relax. It needs to be treated before it spreads to other parts of your body.

Your chance of getting prostate cancer may be affected by your age. If you are 50 or older you have a higher risk. If you were an African American, you are at a higher risk. If the men in your family had it, you’re at even higher risk. Even a diet high in fat foods and low in fruits and vegetables are increase your chance of having prostate cancer.

So the sooner you talk to a doctor the better if you are 50 or older or if you notice some symptoms.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Prostatitis is a common prostate problem

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:55:31 +0000

Prostatitis is a common prostate problem. It comes with two types. Acute and chronic bacterial.

Acute prostatitis is a bacterial infection. It usually starts all of a sudden. If you suddenly get a fever, chills, or pain in the lower back and between the legs, and feel painful when you urinate, see your doctor right away. He or she can prescribe medicine to make you feel better.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is an infection that comes back again and again. Unlike the acute prostatitis, this problem can be hard to treat. Sometimes taking antibiotics for a long time may work. Talk with your doctor about other things you can do to help you feel better.

Source: National Institute on Aging

The prostate is enlarged, but not prostate cancer, Benign prostatic hyperplasia

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:19:49 +0000

As men get older, prostate becomes a common problem. One in two men after 50 will develop some prostate problems. But the good news is that not all prostate problem develops into prostate cancer.

When the prostate is enlarged, but not cancerous, it’s commonly called Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. It is a very common problem among older men. It is a very inconvenient problem since you have to urinate a lot. The treatments your doctor will recommend varies.

Depending on your condition, some doctors might just tell you to wait and watch to see whether it gets worse. If you have more serious symptoms, your doctor might prescribe medicines to relax muscles near your prostate or to shrink it. Keep in mind, if your problems are not serious, you should wait since all medications have possible side effects. If it gets much worse, they you might have to do through a surgery to help the urine flow. Many patients all use other forms of treatments such as radio waves, microwaves, or lasers.

Source: National Institute on Aging