Prostate Disease

• Prostate basics
  • Your prostate examination
• Inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis)
  • What is prostatitis?
  • Diagnosing prostatitis
  • Treating prostatitis
• Prostate enlargement
  • How BPH progresses
  • Getting help
  • Treating BPH
• Prostate cancer
  • Early detection strategies
  • The next step in diagnosis
  • Treating prostate cancer
  • Preventing prostate cancer
• Special Section
• Complementary therapies for prostate disease
  • What are complementary therapies?
• Treating erectile dysfunction and incontinence
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Medications for erectile dysfunction
  • Incontinence
• Glossary
• Resources
  • Organizations
  • Books

Something happens on the way to middle age. First, it’s those pulled muscles after a weekend basketball game. Then, gray hairs begin to outnumber the darker ones. And eventually, for many men in their middle and older years, the prostate gland starts to cause trouble.

The prostate is the walnut-size gland most young men learn about in high school health class and never think of again until decades later, when it may produce some unpleasant symptoms. As you age, changes in this small gland can result in large disruptions in your life, from annoying urinary symptoms to potentially life-threatening cancer. Prostate disease may become severe enough to cause you to alter your day-to-day activities, take medication, or even undergo surgery.

Prostate problems typically surface after age 50, though younger men may also be affected. The causes of prostate disorders aren’t fully understood, but studies suggest a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors including diet.

This report focuses on the three common prostate disorders, prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate), benign prostatic hyperplasia (a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate also known as enlarged prostate) and prostatic carcinoma (prostate cancer). Although these three diseases share some of the same symptoms, they are very different.

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate marked by painful or difficult urination. It has no effect on erectile function. Though very common, the cause is usually unknown, and, consequently, treatment can be difficult. Unlike the other prostate diseases, it frequently strikes younger men.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate that can interfere with urination, and, like prostatitis, generally has no effect on a man’s erectile function. It’s extremely common in older men, affecting more than half of men in their 60s and as many as 90% in their 70s and 80s.

As you approach middle age, you will have to make some decisions about screening for prostate cancer, which often involves some combination of digital rectal examinations (DREs) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. Talk to your doctor about your personal risk for prostate cancer, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of PSA testing, as you decide how to approach prostate cancer screening.

If you need treatment for prostate disease you’ll need to review your options carefully. Treatment can have side effects, including erectile dysfunction, impotence, and incontinence. Therefore it’s important to weigh the risks and benefits for each procedure or medication in order to choose the treatment that is best for you. That’s where this report will help. It provides a road map of the path and pitfalls of maintaining prostate health. Work with your doctor to make informed choices along the way.