Prostate enlargement is present in 50% of men over the age of 60 and in 90% of men over the age of 80.
How Old Does Benign Prostate Growth Occur?
The prostate is a chestnut-shaped organ under the bladder in men and 20 grams in young adults. Its job is to provide an antigen called prostate specific antigen (PSA) to the semen, and this contributes to the formation of pregnancy by providing liquefaction of the semen.
As a result, if there is no prostate, there will be no pregnancy and therefore no reproduction. Unfortunately, diseases of the prostate, which is an important reproductive organ, begin to occur after a certain age. There are basically 3 types of diseases of the prostate.
The first is the inflammation of the prostate gland, which we call prostatitis, the second is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), that is, benign growth of the prostate gland, and the third is cancers of the prostate gland.
Prostate inflammation is usually seen in young adults and also in patients with BPH, while prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement are generally seen in men over 50 years old.
What are the Symptoms of Benign Prostate Enlargement?
Prostate symptoms can be detected as follows. I have previously stated that the average weight of the normal prostate is 17-20 grams. Benign growth occurs in the prostate due to age, changes in hormonal balance over time, and some growth factors.
If this growth obstructs the exit of the urinary tract from the bladder, some negative changes occur in the urinary bladder and then in the kidneys due to difficulty in urination.
While there should be no urine left after urinating in the bladder, urine due to obstruction starts to remain and the sac cannot be emptied completely. Urinary tract infections may develop depending on this condition.
Frequent urination in the patient, drip after urinating, frequent urination at night, weakening of urine flow rate. It gives many symptoms such as bifurcation while urinating, difficulty urinating, and intermittent urination. It may even impair sexual functions.
These symptoms can be mild or moderate or severe.
Do Genetic Factors and Nutrition Have an Effect?
Although the cause of benign prostate enlargement is not known precisely, the disruption of the hormonal balance due to the advancement of age and the activation of growth factors are among the most responsible reasons.
In addition, as in most diseases, genetic factors are important in benign prostate enlargement. It is seen at least twice as often in those with BPH in their family.
For this reason, those with prostate enlargement in their family should be careful. As with most diseases, the development and continuation of prostate diseases are directly or indirectly effective.
Fatty eating habits, alcoholic and carbonated drinks negatively affect prostate diseases. In addition, beverages containing caffeine, such as tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks, increase fluid excretion in the urine, and increase the symptoms of prostate diseases when consumed excessively.
Therefore, such drinks should be avoided.
What is the Treatment of Benign Prostate Enlargement?
The main thing in benign prostate enlargement is whether the growing prostate affects the discharge of urine from the bladder. A very enlarged prostate does not cause serious obstruction, while a less enlarged prostate may prevent urine output.
Here, there is no direct relationship between the size of the prostate and the severity of the disease. When the urine output is not good, the structure of the urinary bladder first deteriorates, then the kidneys may be affected, causing kidney failure and even dialysis.
Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of prostate diseases prevent the development of kidney failure. Prostate enlargement treatment is done according to the severity of the disease.
- If the patient has very few symptoms and does not disturb the bladder and kidney, this is considered as mild prostate symptoms. As a treatment, 1.5-2 liters of fluid intake per day is recommended, but fluid intake is stopped 2 hours before bed to reduce frequent at night. It is said that he should stay away from harmful foods and drinks.
- Patients with moderate symptoms. In this case, there are moderate symptoms such as frequent urination day and night, bifurcation in the urine, dripping at the end of urine, and decrease in urine flow due to the deterioration of the bladder.
In this case, drugs that reduce the tension of the muscles of the prostate and shrink the prostate are used. 3. Patients with severe symptoms of prostate disease.
In this case, both the bladder and the kidney may be affected, the urinary bladder cannot be emptied completely, and urine leakage in the form of overflow. In addition, there are frequent symptoms of control day and night. In this case, the treatment is surgical.
The surgical method is determined depending on the age, general condition of the patient and the size of the prostate. The aim is to eliminate benign prostate enlargement that causes urine output.
If the patient is elderly and uses blood thinners, laser prostate removal may be recommended as the possibility of bleeding is less. Standard surgical treatment is TUR operations. If the prostate is too large (over 100 grams). Open surgery can be applied and may be the best method.
However, today, with the development of technology, even very large prostates can be treated with TUR, that is, closed way. In addition, there are less used surgical methods such as cryotherapy, thermotherapy, prostatic stent placement, and HIFU.
Does Benign Prostate Affect Sexual Life?
Depending on the degree of symptoms in benign prostate enlargement, sexual life may be negatively affected. He becomes unable to think of sexuality from the symptoms of the disease.
According to researches, when the disease is treated, sexual function is restored accordingly. On the other hand, both drug treatments and surgeries can affect sexuality, albeit a little.
However, it affects hardening less than 1%. In 10-30% of those who use drugs due to illness, semen due to drug use may not come out.
This situation does not affect erection and orgasm, only semen does not come out. In prostate surgeries performed in benign prostate enlargement, only the obstructing part of the prostate is removed, so the vessels and nerves that provide hardening are not affected and do not cause erectile dysfunction, but the semen does not come out 30 -70% and escapes into the bladder.
This situation does not pose a health problem and does not affect orgasm.
What Are Your Nutrition Tips?
Nutrition and fluid balance are very important in the regulation of most diseases. In benign prostate enlargement disease, first of all, dietary habits and fluid intake should be regulated.
First of all, 1.5-2 liters of fluid consumption according to the season and weather conditions is important in order to prevent kidney functions and urinary tract infections. However, it is recommended to stop fluid intake 2 hours before going to bed.
Otherwise, the frequency of urination at night increases and impairs comfort. Daily consumption of 5-10 portions of fruits and vegetables is especially important in terms of vitamin A and D intake. According to some studies, lycopene is important in preventing prostate diseases and is mostly found in tomatoes.
Therefore, tomato consumption is recommended. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and should be included in the diet. Oily cold-water fish and flax seeds are good sources of omega-3s. Approximately 30 grams of almonds and walnuts are beneficial.
As I mentioned above, we should stay away from excessive fatty diets, alcoholic and carbonated beverages, sugary foods, fatty meats and fried foods.