Understanding Enlarged Prostate: Symptoms, Indicators, and Treatment Options

If you find yourself making frequent late-night trips to the bathroom or rushing to the restroom during daytime activities, these could be early signs of prostate enlargement. Difficulty sitting through flights or meetings without discomfort might also indicate benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). According to the NKUDIC (National Kidney and Urological Disease Information Clearinghouse), BPH is the most prevalent prostate condition among men over 50.

Signs and Manifestations

Common symptoms include difficulty initiating urination, dribbling, and leakage. Frequent nighttime bathroom visits often disrupt daily life. Symptoms can worsen under stress or cold weather, divided into two categories:

• Bladder emptying issues:

These involve pain during urination, persistent urge to urinate soon after voiding, incomplete bladder emptying sensation, post-urination dribbling, weak urine flow, and difficulty starting urination.

• Storage symptoms:

This includes sudden, uncontrollable urges to urinate, frequent urination, and nocturia—waking multiple times at night to urinate. The severity of these symptoms varies from mild to debilitating, irrespective of prostate size.

Treatment Strategies

Treatment options encompass medications, minimally-invasive procedures, and surgical interventions. The choice depends on symptom severity, patient age, and overall health. While surgery is often most effective, it carries higher risks. Medications like Alpha Blockers simply relieve symptoms, whereas 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors can reduce prostate size by lowering DHT hormone levels.

Minimally-invasive methods include TUMT (transurethral microwave therapy) which addresses mild to moderate flow issues, TUNA (radiofrequency ablation), and prostate stents to keep the urethra open. Surgical procedures such as TURP (transurethral resection), TUIP (incising the prostate), laser surgeries, and prostatectomy are available for more severe cases.