Everything you should know about BPH

It is the most common pathology of the prostate gland in men, affecting more than 50% of men over 50 years of age and can reach a prevalence of 88% by the age of 90.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, consists of a benign growth of the prostate, at the expense of the central and transitional prostatic area, which may cause an obstruction of the urinary tract. This obstruction conditions a symptomatology that significantly alters the patient's quality of life.

Early diagnosis and treatmentis important in order to avoid complications derivedfrom this obstruction of the urinary tract such as acute urinary retention, the appearance of bladder stones or even, in advanced cases, renal failure.

Lower urinary tract obstruction due to BPH is manifested by the appearance of voiding (obstructive) micturition symptoms, such as difficulty in initiating urination, a weak and short urinary stream, the sensation of not completely emptying the bladder, as well as by the presence of filling (irritative) symptoms, including increased frequency and urgency of urination, with or without associated leakage, and nocturia (frequent awakening at night to urinate).

The symptoms are independent of the size of the prostate, there are small prostates that can have very important symptoms and large prostates that produce hardly any symptoms.

The progression of untreated BPH can result in a worsening of the patient's quality of life and potentially trigger serious complications requiring surgical treatment such as:

• Acute urinary retention.
• Recurrent hematuria.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Bladder stones.
• Obstructive uropathy and impaired renal function (renal failure).
• Overflow urinary incontinence.

There are multiple surgical techniques for the treatment of BPH. The choice of treatment will depend on the size of the prostate and the patient's personal characteristics.