Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia/Enlarged Prostate

A Common Part of Aging

It is common for the prostate gland to become enlarged as a man ages. Doctors call this condition benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or benign prostatic hypertrophy.

As a man matures, the prostate goes through two main periods of growth. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. At around age 25, the gland begins to grow again. This second growth phase often results, years later, in BPH.

Though the prostate continues to grow during most of a man’s life, the enlargement doesn’t usually cause problems until late in life. BPH rarely causes symptoms before age 40, but more than half of men in their sixties and as many as 90 percent in their seventies and eighties have some symptoms of BPH.

As the prostate enlarges, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding, causing the gland to press against the urethra like a clamp on a garden hose. The bladder wall becomes thicker and irritable. The bladder begins to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, causing more frequent urination. Eventually, the bladder weakens and loses the ability to empty itself, so some of the urine remains in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and partial emptying of the bladder cause many of the problems associated with BPH.

Many people feel uncomfortable talking about the prostate, since the gland plays a role in both sex and urination. Still, prostate enlargement is as common a part of aging as gray hair. As life expectancy rises, so does the occurrence of BPH. In the United States in 2000, there were 4.5 million visits to physicians for BPH.

Symptoms

Many symptoms of BPH stem from obstruction of the urethra and gradual loss of bladder function, which results in incomplete emptying of the bladder. The symptoms of BPH vary, but the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination, such as

A hesitant, interrupted, weak stream
Urgency and leaking or dribbling
More frequent urination, especially at night

Treatment Options

There are many ways to manage BPH. Remember, if conservative treatments don’t deliver the results you need, you have more options.

Drug Treatment

Over the years, researchers have tried to find a way to shrink or at least stop the growth of the prostate without using surgery. The FDA has approved six drugs to relieve common symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Because drug treatment is not effective in all cases, researchers in recent years have developed a number of procedures that relieve BPH symptoms but are less invasive than conventional surgery.

Surgical Treatment

Most doctors recommend removal of the enlarged part of the prostate as the best long-term solution for patients with BPH. With surgery for BPH, only the enlarged tissue that is pressing against the urethra is removed; the rest of the inside tissue and the outside capsule are left intact. Surgery usually relieves the obstruction and incomplete emptying caused by BPH. The following section describes the types of surgery that are used.

Products and Resources – RX

General Adult Urology

BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) Drugs

FLOMAX – Tamsulosin

AVODART – Dutasteride

JALYN – Dutasteride and Tamsulosin HCI

RAPAFLO – Silodosin

Prostiva

Erectile Dysfunction

VIAGRA – Sildenafil Citrate
CIALIS – Tadalafil
LEVITRA – Vardenafil HCI
STAXYN – Vardenafil HCI

Low Testosterone

ANDROGEL – Testosterone Gel
AXIRON – Testosterone Topical Solution
FORTESTA – Testosterone Gel
TESTIM – Testosterone Gel

Minimally Invasive Technologies for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Urolift
CoreTherm – Thermal Therapy for BPH
TherMatrx – Office Thermo Therapy: The Safe and Effective Office-Based Solution for BPH
GreenLight – Laser Therapy for the Treatment of BPH
Aquablation