Enlarged Prostate: Seventeen-Year Study Confirms Surgery Best Treatment to Improve Incontinence

At the annual meeting of the American Urologic Association on May 30, 2010, the Mayo Clinic presented its findings of a 17-year long study of over 2100 men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Benign prostatic hypertrophy is another term for an enlarged prostate gland.

Fifty percent of men experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate by age 60; at age 90, eighty percent of men do.

Findings of Community Study

Unlike many studies which gather participants based on several qualifying factors, a community study represents a more random group, one that is representative of the general population. In this study, the Mayo Clinic chose nearly 2200 healthy men between the ages of 40 and 79 with enlarged prostates and followed them from 1990 to 2007.

Study participants were given surveys to complete every two years about symptoms they were experiencing and any treatments they had or were receiving. It was from this data that researchers determined "urinary problems and incontinence before and after different types of treatment" (LiveScience).

Final findings: 72 percent of participants received no treatment for BPH symptoms; 23 percent took medication; 4 percent had the surgical treatment transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and 1 percent had surgical laser vaporization.

Dr. Amy Kramback, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic and a lead researcher in the study stated, "After intervention, the greatest improvement in symptom score was seen in the TURP group, followed by laser vaporization, then the drugs, 5 alpha reductase inhibitors and alpha adrenergic receptor blockers," Krambeck said. "Only the surgical TURP group reported a decrease in incontinence - pre-TURP the incontinence rate was 64.5 percent and post-TURP it was 41.9 percent" (LiveScience).

Symptoms of Enlarged Prostate/Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

The symptoms of BPH involve urination: a weak urine stream; starting and stopping of stream while urinating; difficulty starting stream; frequent or urgent need to urinate; dribbling at end of stream; blood in urine; straining to be able to urinate; inability to completely empty bladder (Mayo Clinic).

It is advisable to consult a physician if these symptoms are noticed because the symptoms of prostate cancer can be identical to those of BPH. Your physician can perform tests to determine if disease is present.

If your urinary symptoms are causing problems in the absence of prostate cancer, you and your physician may wish to explore possible treatment options.

Sources: LiveScience
Mayo Clinic
PhysOrg