Enlarged Prostate
Demographics and risk factors:
The diagnosis of symptomatic BPH is made on the basis of history and physical examination. Histologic BPH is an enlarged prostate seen by the pathologist under a microscope. Note that not all enlarged prostates cause symptoms.
BPH is very common. The occurrence of histologic BPH (diagnosed under the microscope) in autopsy studies is:
20% in men aged 41-50
50% in men aged 51-60
>90% in men older than 80.
Although symptomatic BPH is less common, approximately 25% of 55-year-old men are bothered by BPH, and 50% of 75-year-old men have symptoms.
The only proven risk factors for BPH are age and male gender. However, sons and brothers of BPH patients are at increased risk for developing BPH.
The causes of BPH are not well understood. It is thought to result from hormonal changes and changes in the prostate that occur as part of the normal aging process. Therefore, there is really no effective prevention of this disease.
