Aside from prostate cancer, there are additional health conditions which affect the prostate gland. The most common prostate condition is prostatism, also known as an enlarged prostate gland. This condition is not life-threatening but it can be inconvenient and uncomfortable for many men, especially those over the age of 60.
What causes prostatism?
The prostate gland starts to grow in size after the age of 40. Although many men do experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland, many don’t; it is estimated that half of men over the age of 60 and a quarter of those over the age of 40 will experience troublesome symptoms. It is not known why the prostate gland enlarges as men age.
What are the symptoms?
Common symptoms include:
- Frequent need to urinate
- Disturbed sleep patterns (due to having to get up to go to the loo)
- Sudden need to go to the toilet
- Constantly feeling like you need to urinate
Treating prostatism
For those than experience troubles with their prostate, there are a number of treatments available which can control the symptoms and make life a bit easier. If symptoms are mild, a doctor may only recommend lifestyles changes; however, if there are more severe symptoms, medication may be prescribed to reduce the size of the prostate gland and surgery may be carried out in extreme cases; this is only carried out when the prostate gland is unusually large.