Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a very common condition mainly affecting older men.

With a prevalence of 60% among 60-year-old men and 85% in 85-year-old men, BPH occurs when the prostate gland becomes enlarged.

However, the severity and frequency of symptoms are not indicative of the size of the prostate enlargement.

Commonly Occurring Symptoms:

• Fluctuating or weak urinary stream.
• Hesitating before the start of urination.
• Leakage after urination.
• Not being able to urination.
• Urgent need for urination.
• The bladder may not empty completely.
• Dribbling urine toward the end of urination.
• The need to strain while urinating.
• Urinary retention, which is a serious complication requiring urgent medical attention.

Risk Factors

As with a lot of medical conditions, your age and your family history are two of the main risk factors in developing BPH.

Highly uncommon in men in their 40’s, by age 60 over 1/2 of these same men will develop BPH, and the incidence rises again to 85% by age 85.

There has also been some research to indicate that the same risk factors that increase your risk of a heart attack may also increase your risk of BPH.

Unhealthy living, being overweight, eating poorly and having a sedentary lifestyle will all increase your risk of developing BPH.

Treatment Options

Rarely causing complications, BPH is usually treated with medication and occasionally surgery.

Medications most commonly used to treat BPH include alpha-blockers and five-alpha-reductase-inhibitors (5ARIs). It should also be noted that BPH is neither a cancerous or pre-cancerous condition.

Prostate support supplements are also a healthy option, without the side effects experienced with prescription meds.