Prostate Gland Infection - What is an Enlarged Prostate Gland

Prostate infection, also known as "prostatitis" generally occurs in men who fall in the age group of 30-50 years. Prostatitis can also occur in older men. According to a research, half of the male population develops prostatitis some time in their life.

Researchers are still working hard to find all the possible causes of prostate gland infections. However, some authentic information is available in this regard. It has been proved that different organisms, fungi and genital viruses cause prostate gland infections. Even staphylococcal and streptococcal organisms rarely cause prostate infections. The biggest misconception about prostate infections is that they increase the risk of prostate cancer, although no researcher has been successful in proving this till now.

Prostate Gland Infection - Types
Basically, there are four types of prostate infections. They are acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic abacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia. Increased urinary frequency, pain with urination, pain in genital area, pain with ejaculation are some specific symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis. High fever and fatigue are some general symptoms seen in most patients. The symptoms of chronic bacterial prostatitis are very similar to those of acute bacterial prostatitis but are less severe. Sexual dysfunction, joint pain and pain in lower back are some other symptoms.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Ibuprofen (Motrin) or Naproxen (Aleve) are usually prescribed for people with prostate infections. However, these medicines are not permanent solutions as they provide relief for a short period of time. They can help a patient to cope with the situation until he consults a physician. The doctors may prescribe antibiotics like trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or fluoroquinolones which show good results within a few weeks. There are some ways to prevent prostate infections. Individuals with family history of such infections should avoid indulging in activities like bicycling, jogging or horse riding. If done in excess these activities can damage the prostate gland.

What is an Enlarged Prostate Gland?
Prostate enlargement is called as BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy). Sometimes, the cells proliferate quickly within the gland. As the cells rise in number, they block the urine flow completely or partially. This may cause infections. Prostate enlargement is directly proportional to high hormone levels. Males with low hormones (androgens) rarely suffer from prostate enlargement. There is another hormone in men called as DHT (dihydrotestosterone). Excessive presence of this hormone too leads to the above problem.

Enlarged Prostate Gland - Surgical Treatment
Different kinds of surgeries are available for treating enlarged prostates. Doctors perform a surgery on a prostate gland only when all other forms of treatment fail to solve the problem. The surgeries performed have been described below:

Transurethral Resection of Prostate
In this surgery, the patient is first given anesthesia. The surgeon inserts a device called as resectoscope through the urethra. This device is 12 inches in length and has a 0.5 inch diameter. Resectoscope is used on tissues containing cells which obstruct the bladder. This is the most widely used surgery which lasts for around 1 hour.

Transurethral Incision of Prostate
In this surgery, the muscle at the opening of the bladder is incised (through the urethra) in order to lower the resistance during micturition.

Open Prostatectomy
In this surgery, the enlarged prostate is removed. General or spinal anesthetics are used. This surgery has some side effects and blood transfusion may be essential in this process. The surgery may cause total or partial inability to hold back urine.

We have discussed some problems related to the prostate gland health. It is said that every problem has a solution, and this problem is no exception. Avoid eating food items like dairy, red meat and eggs. Certain foods have vitamin D in them which is essential to maintain good health. Intake of food items like pumpkin will provide the body with essential zinc content. We should eat antioxidant foods like tomatoes, watermelons and guavas. We can thus maintain prostate health by improving our lifestyle.