Symptoms Of An Enlarged Prostate
The urethra goes through the prostate gland. Therefore, when the prostate is enlarged, urination must be negatively affected. The enlarged prostate will compress the urethra and the bladder neck, meaning the bladder cannot be emptied completely. In order to overcome any obstruction from the bladder neck, the bladder wall muscle will attempt to overcome the problem and over-contract becoming thicker as a trabecular-like protrusion, forming a diverticulum. As the bladder neck obstruction get worse, the bladder cannot be emptied completely, and there will be some residual urine in the bladder after urination. That residual urine is the basis for developing urinary tract infection and stones. Without proper treatment, the enlarged prostate will develop further, and compression of the urethra will gradually increase, the residual urine in the bladder will increase, the pressure in the bladder will increase causing the urine to go to the ureters and kidneys, result in bilateral hydronephrosis and renal insufficiency.
The clinical symptoms of an enlarged prostate is mainly a urination disorder. The signs are as follows:
1) Frequent and/or urgent urination: Patients will have frequent urination in the early stages, especially at night. The patient cannot empty their bladder leaving residual urine. When there is inflammation or secondary stones, the patient will have urgent and painful urination.
2) Urination difficulty: The bladder muscle is exhausted, urination is weaker, and the residual urine volume increases, this makes the prostate more congested and swollen, and the urine flow is very small or split. Sometimes, there is no urine flow, just dribbling, sometimes two urine streams, or the patient may need wait for half or one minute before they start to urinate.
3) Incontinence: When the residual urine equals the volume of a normal bladder and when there is a water sound or other stimulation causes reflection, urine will flow automatically. Dribbling happens quite often, and the patient may saturate their underwear and feel miserable.
4) Acute urinary retention: With all the above urination problems, acute urinary retention can happen at any time. If the patient cannot urinate, they will have a lot of pain, and have to go immediately to the hospital Emergency Room. Acute urinary retention can be induced by a change of climate, catching a cold, fatigue, drinking of alcohol, etc.
5) Other: Bloody urine does not happen often. But for patients who have stones or a tumor, blood will be seen in the urine. There are some complications because the patient may have tried too hard to urinate, it may come from a hernia, hemorrhoids, anal prolapse, varicocele in the lower extremity, emphysema and so on.
6) Late stage Symptoms: Azotemia caused by renal insufficiency, acidosis, high blood pressure, poor appetite, anemia and weight loss, heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease may occur.
