Urinary incontinence Archive

Men with prostate cancer that has spread outside the gland now have several newer drug options available for treatment, and research has found that taking any of them is likely to improve survival duration.

Depending on how you define the term, prostatitis affects 9% to 16% of men at some point in their lives. The term prostatitis, which means inflammation of the prostate, refers to a group of syndromes characterized by urinary problems such as burning or painful urination, urgency, and trouble voiding; difficult or painful ejaculation; and pain in the perineum or lower back. Although it causes some of the same symptoms as BPH and can occur at the same time, prostatitis is a separate condition.

Treating chronic prostatitis

If you have chronic prostatitis, treatment is highly individual and will depend on the type of symptoms that you have. Fortunately, there are many options, and with some trial and error, you may find one that works for you.

Ask the doctors

Q. Is there any way to tell if you are getting osteoporosis? Are there symptoms?

A. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes your bones to become weak and brittle and more likely to break. Unfortunately, you probably won't have any symptoms until the disease is advanced or you actually experience a fracture. However, there are two visible clues of osteoporosis: changes in your posture (such as a hunched-over appearance) and loss of height. Both of these changes may be caused when your spine becomes curved or compressed from weakness or tiny fractures (called compression fractures) in your vertebrae, the small bones that make up your spine.

It's called "weight bias," and even health care providers aren't immune.

 Image: © Photodisc/Thinkstock

If you've ever delayed a doctor's appointment so you could lose a few pounds before your annual weigh-in, or hesitated to exercise in public because you felt self-conscious among a sea of hard-bodied gym goers, your weight may be affecting your health — but not in the way you might think.

Even if you're otherwise healthy, sometimes excess pounds bring increased health risks, especially if they keep you from following recommended health practices that offer protection over the long term.

Research we're watching

 Image: © wildpixel/Thinkstock

Can a high-tech water bottle help prevent painful kidney stones? The National Institutes of Health is hoping to find out. As many as one in every 11 people in the United States today has experienced a painful kidney stone. Kidney stones, a condition also referred to as nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, are hard deposits that form inside the kidneys. They can be as small as a grain of sand or the size of a marble or larger. Symptoms of a stone include excruciating pain, interrupted urine flow, or bleeding inside the urinary tract. In short, kidney stones are definitely something you want to avoid. One way to keep stones from developing is to drink lots of water. The problem is, people who have had a stone often don't drink enough water to prevent new ones from forming, even when they're told how important it is to stay hydrated.

This trial, which will enroll 1,642 people, is trying to change that by using a "smart" water bottle that not only encourages people to drink a target amount of water each day, but also tracks their consumption using an app. People in the test group who reach their daily fluid intake targets will get financial incentives. Health coaches will provide added support to help participants achieve their goals. The findings could shed new light on how to get people to change their behavior to prevent this common and painful condition. For more information on the trial or to see if you qualify, visit www.health.harvard.edu/push.

Urinary incontinence is more common in women, but men experience it too, particularly as they get older. Whether it’s urge incontinence or stress incontinence, there are strategies and treatments that can help.

The male hormone testosterone contributes to normal brain function, and some research links memory loss in older men to testosterone declines that occur naturally with aging. However, testosterone is also like jet fuel for prostate tumors, causing them to grow faster, so during cancer treatment doctors will often give hormonal therapies that suppress its activities […]

On call

Q. I seem to bruise more frequently as I get older. Even when I have not bumped into anything, I see bruises on my arms. What causes that, and should I be worried?

A. Easy bruising is a common issue for many older men. That's because of a combination of less subcutaneous (fat) tissue and more fragile blood vessels.