Prostate Disease Information
What is the prostate? What is 'Prostate Disease'?
Signs and symptoms What is PSA?
The term 'Prostate Disease' relates to three main conditions which can affect your prostate. The information contained on this page gives information about each of these along with details of the signs and symptoms to look out for.
What is the prostate?
Exclusive to men, the prostate is a small, walnut shaped gland found in the pelvis surrounding the beginning of the urethra (the tube that carries urine through the penis). The main function of the prostate is to help with the production of semen - it produces a thick white fluid that nourishes the sperm.
The development of the prostate is driven by male hormones but the rate of growth decreases and may stop around the age of 20. However, a second period of growth can occur around the age of 45. Problems can occur if this second period of growth is abnormal.
What is 'Prostate Disease'?
There are 3 main conditions that can affect your prostate:
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Prostate enlargement
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Prostatitis or inflammation of the prostate
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Cancer of the prostate
Prostate enlargement
As already mentioned, the enlargement of the prostate is a normal part of aging with the second period of growth occurring around the age of 45. However, there is a strong layer of tissue surrouding the prostate which prevents it from growing outwards. Instead, the prostate 'grows' inwards, and places pressure on the urethra which can affect urine flow.
Approximately 60% of men over the age of 60 will develop an enlarged prostate whereas, by the age of 80, about 80% to 90% of men will be diagnosed with this condition.
Enlargement of the prostate is normally a manageable condition but, if you develop an enlarged prostate, it is vital that you find out whether or not it is cancerous or potentially cancerous.
Prostatitis
Prostatitis refers to inflammation or infection of the prostate. This condition can occur at any age and it is estimated that approximately 50% of men will experience it at some point during their life. There is no evidence that suggests that prostatitis will lead to cancer of the prostate but the symptoms can still be troublesome.
Prostate Cancer
This type of cancer is the most common cancer in men and is responsible for around 25% of newly diagnosed cancer cases in England and Wales. The risk of developing prostate cancer increases as you age with most cases occurring in men over 65 years of age but the causes are mainly unknown.
Although it is a complicated cancer, the outlook for those with prostate cancer is generally good. The main reason for this is that prostate cancer normally progresses slowly. In fact, it may take up to 15 years for the cancer to spread to other areas of the body.
However, saying this, treatment is always easier and normally more successful when the cancer is detected early before it has spread.
Signs and symptoms of prostate disease
Whilst each of the prostate conditions has its own signs and symptoms, there are generic signs & symptoms that men should be aware of. Men shoud visit their GP if any of the follwoing symptoms become apparent:
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Frequent urination, especially at night
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Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
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Dribbling of urine
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Inability to urinate
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Feeling that the bladder is not empty after urination
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Weak or interrupted urination
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Pain or burning on urination
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Painful ejaculation
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Blood in the urine or semen
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Frequent pain in the lower back, hips or ribs
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Unexplained weight loss
If your GP is concerned about your prostate, they are likely to perform a physical examination and/or a PSA assessment.
What is PSA?
PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen which is a protein produced by the prostate that helps to keep semen in a liquid state. PSA levels are likely to be elevated if a man's prostate is diseased.
An elevated level of PSA indicates that further investigation is required. This is because elevated PSA alone is not sufficient to determine exactly what disease is affecting the prostate.
If your BlueSkies Health MOT revealed that you have an elevated level of PSA, it is strongly recommended that you visit your GP for further investigation.
NB The information on this page should not supersede that give by your GP or medical professional.