Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is characterized by enlargement of the prostate gland in males that begins around age 40. As the gland enlarges, it can cause compression of the urethra and surrounding tissues, and thereby cause symptoms of urinary obstruction.
BPH is a nearly universal condition of older men affecting at least half of men over the age of 50. This number increases to 80% of men in their 70s. The cause is not well understood. It is not possible to determine which men will be affected with the condition and there are no genetic or other markers for assessment.
There is no relationship whatsoever between BPH and prostate cancer. BPH can, however, cause a significant amount of inconvenience, discomfort and medical morbidity for some men.
The presence of other potential causes of urinary symptoms and the complication of urinary retention must be excluded. Once this is accomplished, the management of bothersome symptoms and prevention of complications become the focus of care. The extent of treatment is usually dictated by the man's level of inconvenience and his desire to pursue the various interventions.
There are three approaches to the management of BPH: "watchful waiting", medication, and surgery.
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
Finasteride revisited: Proscar for the prostate and Propecia for the pate. Harvard Mens Health Watch. 2000
Role of estrogens in human benign prostatic hyperplasia. Archives of Andrology. 2000
Medical therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a review of the literature. European Urology. 2000
Interstitial laser coagulation technique. Anatomic review. World Journal of Urology. 2000
Interstitial laser coagulation technique: considerations for office -based ILC. World Journal of Urology. 2000
Interstitial laser coagulation technique: ILC blueprint. World Journal of Urology. 2000
Are men with lower urinary tract symptoms at increased risk of prostate cancer? A systematic review and critique of the available evidence. Bju International. 2000
Serenoa repens for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [computer file]. 2000
Beta-sitosterols for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [computer file]. 2000
Cernilton for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [computer file]. 2000
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