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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
(UR001)

Introduction

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.

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The Medifocus Guide on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:


What Your Doctor Reads:

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:


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