Elaine

Prostate disorders range in degree of unpleasant to irritating to devastating. The good news is that effective treatment and most importantly, relief of symptoms is available for all the big three prostate disorders, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH which is an enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, and prostatitis. Its especially good to know that prostate cancer, when caught early, is curable. All prostate disorders can generally be treated without causing loss of urinary control or sexual function.

BPH is not prostate cancer, and having an enlarged prostate does not mean that a man is more likely to get prostate cancer. For most men, during the first forty years or so, the prostate is on its best behavior. But after 40, many men develop BPH or an enlarged prostate which is an irritating condition that causes the prostate to swell and interfere with urine flow. BPH may trigger frequent urination, a sense of urgency, along wait for urine to flow, frequent awakening in the night to urinate, interruption of the urine stream, and a constant feeling of fullness in the bladder. BPH develops from the inside outward, as the prostates inner tissue starts to crowd the urethra, which runs through the encircling prostate like a straw held in someones fist. As the inner prostate cells grow, they begin squeezing the urethra. For most men with BPH, this tightening causes an irritating but tolerable change in quality of life. However, when it progresses beyond the nuisance point, when it hinders the urinary tract, it is time to be treated.

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland. The effects of prostate inflammation on urinary tract function include frequent urination, the urgent desire to void, and increased night-time voiding. The desire to void may be felt and rapidly becomes painfully urgent, only to fade away when you get to the restroom and are unable to void. Because of the unyielding capsule around the gland, inflammation and swelling within the prostate may cause compression of the urethra and obstruction of urinary flow. Heat, redness, swelling and pain are the classic symptoms of inflammation. Symptoms of prostatitis may include pain in the joints, muscles, lower back and area around the scrotum, aches, fever and chills, urinary trouble, including blood in the urine, pain, or burning, and painful ejaculation.

No one yet knows exactly what causes prostate cancer. As with all cancers, the first step is some sequence of events that produces an alteration or mutation in the genetic makeup of a cell. Then something has to occur that stimulates the growth of the abnormal cell. Various speculation as to that unknown but influential something that causes a cancer cell to begin to grow include an imbalance of male sex hormones or the presence of a virus.

Age, family history, and race maybe risk factors in prostate cancer, and recent studies indicate that lifestyle may play a greater role in developing prostate cancer than other risk factors. Still other factors have been suspected, and studied, as potential risk factors for prostate cancer, including sexual behavior, viruses, socio-economic factors, and even BPH, but no strong proof has been found to link these elements to the disease.

Prostate disorders range in degree of unpleasant to irritating to devastating. All prostate disorders can generally be treated without causing loss of urinary control or sexual function. Having an enlarged prostate does not mean that a man is more likely to get prostate cancer. Visit www.male-sexual-health.info for more information about prostate issues and maintaining a healthy prostate.