Prostate Disease
 Prostate Disease:
There are three distinct types of disease of the prostate gland. These diseases have in common many shared symptoms, but have different causes. This makes it very important to include prostate cancer screenings as a component of the annual physical examination and to be referred to a urologist if symptoms indicative of possible prostate disease are identified.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia: this disease is typically called BPH. It is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that affects approximately 50% of all men before the age of 50 and greater than 75% percent of men over the age of 60. Symptoms include the following difficulties associated with urinating; an urge to urinate even when the bladder is empty (urgency); frequency of urination, especially at night; a weak or intermittent stream; or a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder and/or dribbling of urine.
Prostatitis is identifiable as an inflammation of the prostate that may be caused by a bacterial infection. This disease may affect men of any age and can occur in any prostate whether small or enlarged. Symptoms of prostatitis are similar to those caused by an enlarged prostate and include urge frequency with difficulty in emptying the bladder. Prostatitis may be indicated by chills, fever and by pain or burning during urination.
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