Beyond a particular age, say around 50, most men start having problems with urination. This is due to enlargement of prostate, which is a gland-like structure that is situated just below the urinary bladder, and surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine flows out from the urinary bladder. The technical name for this is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
In BPH, nodules form inside the prostate. When sufficiently large, the nodules compress the urethral canal to cause obstruction to the flow of urine. It leads to symptoms such as
- urinary hesitancy or difficulty in starting to pass urine
- incomplete voiding
- weak urine stream
- straining
- sudden urge to pass urine
- frequent urination especially at night
- increased risk of urinary tract infections
- complete urinary retention, requiring catheterisation
Your doctor will diagnose this condition by doing a rectal examination (feeling the prostate through the rectum). Often, biopsies and blood tests are also performed to rule out cancer. Treatment can be medical or surgical.
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