Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia – Symptoms and Treatment

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH, and also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy is a non-cancerous increase in the size of the prostate. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. During the disease, as the prostate gets bigger, it may squeeze and partly block the urethra, causing problems with urinating. Although BPH is not a very serious problem, it can be a big nuisance. About half of all men over 75 have some symptoms, but it can occur in men of all ages.

Symptoms

Symptoms of BPH usually are urinary problems, which include:

·         Trouble getting a urine stream started and completely stopping it.

·         Perpetual feeling of needing to urinate, which might even wake you up at night.

·         A weak urine stream

·         The feeling that the bladder is not empty after one urinates.

In some cases of BPH, the enlarged prostate may completely block the urethra, making it extremely hard or impossible to urinate. This may lead to urine backing up or urinary retention, which can result in bladder infections, kidney stones or kidney damage. BPH does not cause prostate cancer and does not cause infertility related problems.

Treatment

Treatment of BPH focuses on reducing its symptoms, and treatment is usually based on the severity of the symptoms. Medical or surgical treatment is offered to men with significant symptoms and includes:

·         Alpha Blockers, which relax the smooth muscles of the prostate, and the bladder neck, which helps to relieve urinary obstruction caused by an enlarged prostate in BPH. These medicines generally take several weeks to lead to improvement in symptoms.

·         5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors, block the conversion of the male hormone testosterone into its active form in the prostate called dihydrotestosterone or DHT. The prostate enlargement in BPH is directly dependent on DHT, so these drugs lead to an approximate 25% reduction in prostate size over 6 to 12 months.

·         Transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURPis a procedure that is being used since a long time. In this procedure, the doctor inserts a special instrument into the urethra through the penis. With the instrument, the doctor then shaves away part of the inner prostate to relieve the outflow of urine from the bladder.

·         Laser procedures, are now available in most high-end hospitals, some of which can be performed in the doctor's office with minimal anaesthesia. These procedures also involve the removal of obstructing prostate tissue. They are generally associated with less bleeding and quicker recovery than TURP.

There are top hospitals in Gurgaon and NCR, with the best urologists in Gurgaon and NCR available there for treatment. The high-end multi-facility ones, like Paras Hospitals Group have a hospital in Patna as well with a special urology department.