Senior Living: Taking care of your prostate as you age

By Dr. Jennifer Liu,

 Contributing writer

The prostate gland, located conscionable beneath the bladder, is portion of the antheral reproductive strategy and helps nutrient semen. It starts disconnected the size of a walnut and opening astir property 25, the prostate tin gradually enlarge, starring to imaginable issues arsenic men age.

As a earthy portion of aging, astir males volition dilatory statesman to acquisition prostate issues specified arsenic benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis. Both are antithetic but precise communal conditions that impact 40% to 50% of men implicit property 50. 

Jennifer Liu, M.D., Chief, Urology, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. (Courtesy photo)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the enlargement of the prostate. When BPH occurs, it blocks the travel of urine done the urethra, starring to bladder, urinary tract oregon kidney problems. 

Symptoms of BPH whitethorn include:

• An urgent request to urinate.
• Difficulty starting urination.
• The feeling of a afloat bladder, adjacent aft completing urinating.
• A anemic travel of urine.

The champion attraction depends connected factors that see age, prostate size and wide health. Treatments that are disposable see medication, minimally invasive therapies and surgery.

Another information men whitethorn acquisition arsenic they property is prostatitis, an progressive corruption oregon inflammation of the prostate. This is usually caused by a traumatic wounded to the prostate oregon by bacteria that entered the prostate from urine oregon during sex. 

There are antithetic types of prostatitis, depending connected the cause. The antithetic types see acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic pelvic symptom syndrome and asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. 

Symptoms for prostatitis beryllium connected the antithetic types. Some communal symptoms include:

• Burning sensation erstwhile urinating.
• Cloudy oregon bloody urine.
• Pain oregon discomfort successful the penis.
• Fever.

Prostatitis tin beryllium tricky to dainty since determination is nary circumstantial cure and depends connected the benignant that you have. Treatment options see medication, carnal and intelligence wellness therapy, and location care. 

When should I spot a doctor?

You are ne'er excessively aged to spot your doctor. If you’re having pain, burning oregon occupation urinating, docket an assignment with your superior attraction provider. 

To marque a due diagnosis, your doc volition execute a carnal exam that includes a integer rectal exam, a process utilized to analyse the prostate and different little interior organs. You whitethorn besides beryllium referred to a urologist, a doc who specializes successful urinary health. 

Looking retired for prostate cancer

BPH is not linked to crab and does not summation the hazard for cancer. But the symptoms of BPH and prostate crab tin beryllium similar. 

Prostate crab is the maturation of cancerous cells wrong the prostate, which whitethorn interruption retired of the gland and impact different parts of the body. More than fractional of each American men person immoderate crab successful their prostate glands by the property of 80, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

Most of these cancers ne'er airs a problem. However, if you person a household past of prostate cancer, you are doubly arsenic apt to make it. In America, prostate crab is the astir communal non-skin cancer, with 1 successful 9 men — 3 cardinal each twelvemonth — being diagnosed with this signifier of crab successful their lifetime. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that arsenic men scope the property of 55, they should beryllium screened for prostate crab with a prostate circumstantial antigen test. PSA is simply a macromolecule produced by normal, arsenic good arsenic malignant, cells of the prostate gland. This trial measures the level of PSA successful a man’s blood, which is often elevated successful men with prostate cancer. 

Early symptoms, erstwhile the crab is astir treatable, are precise hard to spot, which is wherefore screening is important. Talk to your doc astir erstwhile you should beryllium screened.

How tin I support my prostate’s health?

A man’s lifestyle, workout habits and fare person a large interaction connected his prostate health, particularly arsenic helium gets older. Just similar different areas of the body, taking attraction of your prostate tin forestall and little hazard factors for hard conditions similar BPH oregon prostatitis. 

Here are things you tin bash to assistance support your prostate healthy:

• A steadfast diet: Eat foods specified arsenic oily food that are precocious successful omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables and foods precocious successful steadfast fats similar nuts, olives and avocados.
• Exercise: Studies amusement that workout reduces hazard of BPH and prostatitis. Exercise is indispensable and helps you support a steadfast weight, fortify muscles and enactment cardiovascular health. 

Aging men whitethorn consciousness discouraged to statesman exercising and eating healthy, but it’s ne'er excessively late. Whether you’re successful your 40s, 50s oregon 60s, your aboriginal aforesaid volition inactive convey you.

Although prostate issues whitethorn subordinate to backstage aspects of a person’s life, determination is thing to beryllium embarrassed about. For much accusation oregon to find a provider, telephone 800-MEMORIAL oregon sojourn memorialcare.org/Providers. 

Dr. Jennifer Liu is the main of urology astatine MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center.

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