Urinary problems for men
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Urinary problems for men
Urinary problems often start when men are around 50 years old. These are often problems regarding urinating too often or too slowly and are sometimes coupled with urine loss (for example through leaking), or the feeling that it is hard to urinate or that not everything has been excreted. Many of these problems are related to an enlargement of the prostate.
The prostate is an internal gland in men. The urethra runs through the prostate. As the prostate grows, the urethra narrows. To then urinate properly, the bladder muscle needs to work harder to push the urine through the narrower urethra. This extra effort can cause the bladder wall to weaken or stretch and thus cause urine to remain behind in the bladder (residual urine) after urinating. If this is not treated on time, it can damage the kidneys or cause infections. Urologists have various methods to examine the cause of urinary complaints and the prostate such as:
- Physical examination
- Uroflowmetry: determines the speed of the urine flow;
- Echography of the prostate: to determine the size of the prostate and the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urinating (residual urine);
- Laboratory examination of blood and urine: to determine the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance produced by the prostate gland, but can also be checked to determine kidney and liver functions.
Depending on the urologist’s findings of the cause of your urinary problems, he will recommend a course of treatment such as medicines.