Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BHP)
What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BHP)?
The function of the prostate gland is uncertain. It secretes a thin, milky, slightly alkaline fluid that constitutes about 10% of the seminal fluid, and makes the sperm more active.The fluid contains various substances such as citric acid, zinc, acid phosphatase and prostaglandins, but the need for most of these substances in this location is not known. The prostate gland is involved in three main conditions - prostatitis, benign enlargement and prostate cancer.
The effects of prostate enlargement usually begin to appear about the age of 55. About a quarter of men over 65 have moderate to severe symptoms from this cause.
Prostate enlargement is both a hyperplasia and a hypertrophy. In hyperplasia there is an actual increase in the number of cells in the organ. Hypertrophy means that cells themselves have got bigger. In benign enlargement the connective tissue and gland cells increase in number (hyperplasia) and the smooth muscle cells enlarge (hypertrophy).
The most important enlargement occurs mainly in the part of the gland surrounding the urethra, so that its effect is to compress and narrow the tube. As the gland gets bigger, the volume and force of the urine stream is reduced, so that it takes longer to empty the bladder.
In addition, the force required to push out the urine increases steadily. Eventually a point is reached at which the muscular wall of the bladder is not strong enough to achieve complete emptying. Because some urine is always left in the bladder, it means that it fills up again more quickly.
Bacterial prostatitis is caused by bacterial infection. The cause of non-bacterial prostatitis is unknown. The causes of benign enlargement and prostate cancer are also not clear.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptoms
Most symptoms of BPH start gradually. One symptom is the need to get up more often at night to urinate. Another symptom is the need to empty the bladder often during the day. Other symptoms include difficulty in starting the urine flow and dribbling after urination ends. The size and strength of the urine stream may decrease.These symptoms can be caused by other things besides BPH. They may be signs of more serious diseases, such as a bladder infection or bladder cancer. Tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms, so he or she can decide which tests to use to find the possible cause.
