Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Men’s health

Assessing and managing benign prostatic hyperplasia

Petr Macek, Dinesh Patel, Phillip D Stricker Ao
Abstract
The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia is increasing, and, although rarely life threatening, this condition can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life and morbidity.
Key Points
  • The aetiology of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is not yet known, but heredity, increasing age and the presence of testosterone appear to play a part.
  • Most patients with BPH present with a mixture of lower urinary tract symptoms.
  • The most useful initial investigation for patients with BPH is an ultrasound of the urinary tract, with determination of postvoid residual bladder volume.
  • Observation is appropriate for patients with mild to moderate symptoms but no complications related to the BPH.
  • Patients with mild to moderate symptoms that significantly impact on their quality of life are candidates for medical therapy, usually with an alpha blocker or finasteride.
  • Surgical treatment is reserved for patients with more severe symptoms or who fail initial medical therapy; transurethral resection of the prostate is considered the gold standard of treatment of symptomatic BPH.
Get full access
Subscribe for full access to all articles
Buy this article

Single article purchases are temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance.

If you would like to purchase an article during this time, please email us at [email protected] with the article details and we'll assist you directly. We'll also let you know when online purchasing is available again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Already a subscriber?