The prostate gland in men - what is the prostate?

Prostate disease in men is a very common disease, which affects about 50% of the male population aged 50 years and almost 90% over 75 years of age. Therefore, every elderly man must know the methods of prevention, the causes of the onset and the method of curing this disease.

The prostate gland is an organ in the male body, consisting of two chestnut-shaped trapezoidal lobes connected by an isthmus. The gland is located under the bladder and touches it with its concave, wider base; in the region of the urethra, it narrows, encircling the urethra with an isthmus. The left and right lobes of the prostate consist of muscle tissue and glandular formations (there are about 30 of them in the organ), the mouths of the excretory ducts of which are located in the walls of the urethra.

Why the prostate is needed - functions

The prostate performs various functions in the body of a man, the main ones are:

Prostate diseases

• Adenoma is an enlargement of an organ due to the involuntary growth of its tissues.
• Prostatitis is a tumor of the prostate gland in men, this complication sometimes causes vesiculitis.
• Cancer is a malignant tumor in young men, its kind of sarcoma is found.
• Stones - appear due to kidney dysfunction.
• Abscess - an advanced stage of the inflammatory process with the appearance of pustular foci.
• Tuberculosis - Koch's bacterium , which affects other organs along with the lungs.

Adenoma, prostatitis and cancer are the most common.

Prostate adenoma

The opinion that an adenoma (cyst) is a consequence of the natural aging of the male body is quite well known. This is confirmed by statistics in older men at high risk of the disease. Prostatitis and prostate adenoma are diagnosed in men over 50 years old, about 90% of the male population over 75 years old is affected to varying degrees.

What causes a prostate in men? Factors affecting the manifestation of adenoma are under study, but studies have revealed the following patterns that contribute to the formation of the disease:

Symptoms and treatment

The disease progresses slowly, so many do not immediately pay attention to it and start treatment late.

With an adenoma, the gland grows and its nodules compress the urinary canal, which makes it difficult for urine to leave the body, so the signs of the disease are mainly associated with urination. There are three stages of prostate adenoma, which differ in manifestations:

• Compensated. In this stage, urination occurs more often than usual and is difficult, the jet is weak and sluggish. The symptoms are most pronounced at night, it may require emptying 5 8 times;
• Subcompensated. Incomplete release from urine or its excretion in drops, increased urges are added to the symptoms. There is a dry mouth and a feeling of thirst, which indicates a violation of the kidneys;
• Decompensated. Inability to urinate, the amount of urine can be about 2 liters, the bladder is stretched, its sensitivity is lost. Urine passes involuntarily at any time of the day, kidney function is completely impaired.

Complex treatment is effective, including, in addition to taking medications, physiotherapy and compliance with the regime of work and rest:

• Medication is an effective way to reduce tumor size. The main drugs for treatment are alpha-adrenergic blockers, which help to reduce muscle tone. This leads to a decrease in pressure in the bladder and greatly facilitates urination.
• Additionally, alpha reductase inhibitors are prescribed substances that prevent the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Antiexudative and anti-inflammatory drugs can also be used.
• Physiotherapy is a set of physical exercises to improve blood flow in the muscles and organs of the small pelvis. Also used is the method of heating the cyst with an electric current with devices inserted through the rectum. A balanced diet is useful, providing the body with the necessary substances to restore the urinary system.
• Surgical methods. With exacerbation of adenoma to 2 and 3 degrees, the drugs become powerless and surgical operations are used.

The most painless and with a small number of complications is a transurethral operation, when overgrown tissues are removed through the urethra using a periscope. If this operation is not possible, prostatectomy is used - a painful and traumatic intervention with complete removal of the prostate.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammatory disease caused by capillary stasis (abacterial prostatitis) or infection in the male body. The infection can be transmitted sexually or enter the body through the urethra or rectum.

Causes of prostatitis

In the vast majority of cases, inflammation of the prostate has a chronic non-bacterial form associated with stagnant processes in the organ. The main causes and factors of the appearance of this disease:

• Hormonal abnormalities occur in case of insufficient reduction in the body of hormones responsible for erection and ejaculation;
• Impaired circulation caused by edema or constriction of blood vessels;
• Injuries in the perineum and bladder, accompanied by stagnation in the blood vessels;
• Alcohol abuse;
• Diseases of the urinary system, leading to narrowing of the urethra and impaired urine output;
• Rare sexual life increases the chance of blood flow stasis. During ejaculation, a natural massage of the gland occurs, which is the best prophylactic against prostatitis. To reduce the risk, it is recommended to have sex at least 3 times a week;
• Professional activity or a sedentary lifestyle causes stagnation of blood in the organs located in the pelvic area.

Symptoms and treatment

The most famous urological male disease has the following symptoms:

• Pain in the abdomen when passing urine;
• Persistent pain in the perineum and scrotum;
• Short intercourse with impaired erection;
• Disappearance spontaneous morning erection when the bladder is full.

Inflammation of the prostate in men is treated with drugs and in a complex way: antibacterial agents are used after the pathogen is identified, drugs that relieve inflammation, diet and therapeutic procedures.

Drug treatment. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (levofloxacin), anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen) are used. Alpha-blockers (Proflosin) are shown, which facilitate the process of urination. Hormonal preparations of two groups are prescribed: glucocorticoids and estrogen-containing hormones. Physiotherapy. Massage of the gland, therapeutic exercises, acupuncture, water procedures are shown.

Cancer

Prostate cancer (carcinoma) is a malignant tumor that harms the sexual and urinary functions and threatens the life of the patient himself. Carcinoma is quite common and accounts for about 10% of all male cancers.

What is carcinoma

The causes of carcinoma have not yet been identified, but the following patterns are observed:

• Age. Male hormonal changes leading to cancer. It has been established that the occurrence of carcinoma is directly related to the amount of testosterone in the body, it is lowered in the elderly.
• Heredity. If a man's family had cancer patients, then the risk of the disease doubles. Heredity differs from the usual age-related carcinoma in the early stage of occurrence (6-7 years).
• Lifestyle. Human behavior has a significant impact on the possibility of developing Prostate cancer. Alcohol-containing drinks, smoking and taking drugs, due to their high mutagenic effect on the body, lead to the degeneration of a benign tumor into a cancerous one.
• Nutrition. Excessive consumption of fatty red meat causes cancer, although a clear link has not been identified by doctors.

Manifestations:

• Impaired urine output: intermittent urination, frequent urge, burning and pain.
• Pain on rectal palpation during physical examination.
• Blood in urine and semen, impotence.

The development of carcinoma leads to metastases in the pelvic region, which affects the bone tissue, spinal cord and organs located in the pelvis. Manifestations in carcinoma grades 3 and 4:

• Bone pain in the pelvis
• Swelling of limbs and body, anemia
• Paralysis

Cancer treatment

It is difficult to detect the disease at an early stage without a special examination; PSA is an effective monitoring method.

Elderly people are susceptible to carcinoma, so if men are over 65 years old, the course of the disease is protracted and metastases do not spread, it makes no sense to apply complex and very painful cancer treatment due to the high mortality of patients from other causes.

Existing cancer treatments include the following procedures:

• Chemotherapy and targeted therapies. The use of drugs in chemotherapy inhibits the growth of cancer cells, damaging healthy cells and harming the entire body;
• An alternative method is targeted, lighter drug treatment, in which cancer cells are targeted attack by monoclonal antibodies with minimal harm;
< li>Hormonal influence can stop or significantly slow down the development of cancer cells. The method usually serves as an adjunct to surgery or radiation, but can only be treated with hormones;
• Radiation.X-ray irradiation of a localized tumor causes a lot of negative effects and is not very advisable. For treatment, more gentle methods of brachytherapy and ultrasound therapy are used;
• Localization of the injection site is accurate, radiation destroys cancer cells of the gland without harming other organs;
• Ultrasound therapy is a local ultrasound effect on cancer cells , leading to their complete destruction.

Surgical methods are effective in the early stages, two methods of surgical intervention are used:

• Prostaectomy, complete surgical removal of the prostate;
• Transurethral resection, removal of a cancerous tumor through the urethra piecemeal using a resiscope.

A diseased prostate gland in men and its treatment is a vital issue for many elderly people. The disease is quite effectively cured with the use of medications, treatment with folk remedies is more of a preventive nature.

In case of cancer, the effect can be achieved by localizing metastases in the problem organ (carcinoma of 1 and 2 degrees), modern methods of treatment, unlike traditional ones, are more effective and painless.