{"id":7065,"date":"2019-05-30T21:09:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T21:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7065"},"modified":"2021-04-08T20:51:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T20:51:00","slug":"14-things-men-should-know-about-bph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-things-men-should-know-about-bph\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Things Men Should Know About BPH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Benign prostate hyperplasia is a common health condition that normally affects men in their forties and older, although it\u2019s being seen in younger men with increasing frequency \u2013 and if you suspect that you have BPH, then you should make an appointment with a specialist doctor no matter which age you might be at.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s estimated that more than 100 million men are diagnosed with BPH every year, and the first thing that you should know if you are diagnosed is the fact that the condition is normally easy to treat from there. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you suspect that you might have BPH based on the symptoms (which can include difficulty, strain, and discomfort when urinating as well as an increased or decreased urination frequency and volume), see your doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 important things that men should know about benign prostate hyperplasia if they suspect they might have it or have just been diagnosed. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Some ages are at risk, but it can happen to anyone.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a thousand one-liners out there that have something to do with old men and prostate <\/a>issues, and part of this has contributed to the almost global idea that prostate issues and health conditions such as BPH are only seen in older men. This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth \u2013 although there is some partial truth to this statement.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the likelihood of benign prostate hyperplasia increases in men who are past forty years of age, and again when they age closer to the age of eighty and above, it\u2019s a condition that can be diagnosed in anyone \u2013 and men of any age experiencing symptoms of BPH should pay attention to any symptoms that they might experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s recommended that men undergo regular testicle and prostate examinations from the age of sixteen, and continue a routine of regular doctor\u2019s appointments throughout their life to diagnose conditions like BPH.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Some factors can drastically increase your risk.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Benign prostate hyperplasia <\/a>is a health condition that all men should theoretically look out for during their lifetime. This is done through regular doctor\u2019s appointments and prostate exams \u2013 and not just when symptoms are experienced, but throughout the year like clockwork every couple of months. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some factors that can increase your risk of developing conditions like BPH or often other related issues with your health. Some of these risk factors include physical inactivity, following an unhealthy high-sodium and high-fat diet, being diagnosed with or being at risk of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity are all some of the risk factors which can increase your risk of developing prostate issues in your lifetime. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re aware of any of these risk factors in your life, reduce your risk factors to reduce your risk and make an appointment with your doctor to find out how your health can be improved.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Family History<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other than the risk factors that have already been mentioned in this article so far, there are other risk factors associated with BPH that might increase your risk of developing the condition at any point in your life. Some of the risk factors to look for include conditions like high cholesterol <\/a>and high blood pressure, but it also extends to taking a closer look at your family history to see if any of the conditions happen there.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any family history of men with prostate cancer, benign prostate hyperplasia, diabetes or any lifelong issues with the prostate, you can consider yourself at an automatically higher risk \u2013 and this is true even if the family member in question might not have been diagnosed during their lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look for a family history of any health conditions (especially inherited ones) that go back as far as you can trace to understand your risk. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Certain Medications Can Worsen or Trigger BPH<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are certain medications <\/a>that can worsen or trigger a case of benign prostate hyperplasia. You should start to pay attention if you experience any symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia \u2013 or any other symptoms that seem out of the scope of your normal health routine. Make an appointment with your doctor if and when you see the first signs and symptoms of BPH.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the symptoms can include increased urination frequency, discomfort or pain while urinating, an increased frequency of urination during sleep. They might also include swelling, pain or discomfort in the area where the prostate is located, and other symptoms such as being unable to empty the bladder completely \u2013 sometimes with \u201cleaking\u201d urine as a side-effect.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have started taking any kind of recent medication and experienced symptoms of BPH, then report the symptoms to the prescribing doctor. Sometimes even over-use of many illegal drugs can trigger the condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Lifelong Prostate Examinations Can Prevent the Condition<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prostate exams are the kind of procedure that every man knows they should need, but they\u2019re usually unsure about the subject or too embarrassed to mention it in front of their doctor \u2013 so they keep putting off that appointment for their prostate exam until serious symptoms <\/a>start to show and they have no choice but to get the exam. By this point, existing conditions could have easily progressed \u2013 and they might have been caught and treated earlier on with just a simple, regular prostate exam.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s recommended that men get regular prostate exams from the age of sixteen, and at least go for one every six months during their regular doctor\u2019s appointment. This can help your doctor to catch conditions like benign prostate hyperplasia (or other ones such as prostate cancer) in the early diagnostic stages \u2013 before the condition turns more serious, and before more severe symptoms start to rear their head. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Doesn\u2019t increase prostate cancer risk<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no current clinical evidence that having benign prostate hyperplasia will increase your risk of developing or having prostate cancer, and there\u2019s no current evidence that it increases your risk of developing any other type of cancer. \u00a0If you have benign prostate hyperplasia, the condition will have to be treated as a standalone condition by itself, and there are treatments and medications available that control the majority of the symptoms \u2013 and if those don\u2019t work, sometimes surgery <\/a>is given as a possible option to bring the condition under control.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re off the hook: Make regular appointments with your doctor to have yourself checked for cancer, especially if you have a history of cancer in your family, or if you have any of the other risk factors in your life (such as a high-fat, high-sodium diet or high blood pressure) and make sure you catch any risks early on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. The Condition Can Be Progressive<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a good reason why you should make regular appointments with your doctor \u2013 and one of these reasons is that the majority of medical conditions, whether we\u2019re talking about ones such as cancer, a routine infection or benign prostate hyperplasia, are best diagnosed early on in the process. When any medical condition is left alone undiagnosed, untreated or misdiagnosed<\/a>, then there are plenty more risks associated with the condition \u2013 and it\u2019s likely that these conditions can progress unnoticed in the body.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While benign prostate hyperplasia doesn\u2019t put you at an increased risk for cancer, it can cause a lot of discomfort, pain and even eventual loss of bladder control. Other conditions such as erectile dysfunction are also associated with untreated cases of BPH.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BPH can progress if you start to show symptoms and put off making that doctor\u2019s appointment for too long. Regular examinations can help to catch the condition early enough. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Sometimes Surgery is Needed<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a diagnosed case of BPH can be eliminated with changing around a few different lifestyle <\/a>factors until what\u2019s largely causing the condition can be removed; other times, the use of prescribed medication and a few lifestyle adaptations are needed to keep the condition under control. Your doctor can make the best recommendations for which treatment options are best for your individual case \u2013 and if the medication doesn\u2019t control the condition, there are several different surgical options that can help to make it a thing of the past. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These surgical options aren\u2019t always necessary but can be greatly helpful for those cases where they are. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just one of the available surgical options includes resection of the prostate, a non-invasive procedure whereby a part of the prostate is removed. This is enough to control the majority of BPH cases where medication isn\u2019t effective for whatever reason, and the surgery isn\u2019t as major as people might imagine.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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