Benign Prostate Enlargement Can Cause Kidney Failure

Hormonal levels, which change as every man ages, can cause certain growths in the prostate gland. Although benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a problem that makes urination difficult and generally affects people's social and psychological lives negatively, it does not pose a life-threatening risk. Specialists from the Urology Department at Hisar Hospital Intercontinental provided information about benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Not every prostate growth may cause urinary complaints

Benign growth occurs in the prostate gland under the influence of the hormonal balance that changes with aging in every man. This growth develops only in the inner tissue of the prostate. Prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is an expected finding in 50% of men at age 60 and in 90% of men at age 80. However, not every prostate enlargement causes urinary complaints. For this reason, the enlargement of the prostate alone is not significant. What matters is the presence of growth in the prostate tissue that compresses the urinary tract and obstructs the bladder from emptying urine comfortably. If the growth occurs only toward the outside, the patient may have no urinary complaints at all.

Benign prostate enlargement should not be confused with cancer!

One of the most important points to know about benign prostate enlargement is that it is not a type of cancer and does not create a basis for cancer development. These are two separate diseases; one cannot be the cause of the other. However, benign prostate enlargement and prostate cancer can both be present in the same prostate. For this reason, it must be certain that prostate cancer is not present before treatment for prostate enlargement is given.

If you frequently have problems with urination

In patients with benign prostate enlargement, the main symptoms of the disease include frequent urination (both during the day and at night), waking up repeatedly at night to urinate, a burning sensation while urinating, sudden urges to urinate, urinary incontinence, difficulty starting urination, straining or pushing to urinate, intermittent urinary stream, a split urinary stream, prolonged dribbling at the end of urination, a feeling that the bladder has not completely emptied after urinating, and blood in the urine.

Early diagnosis may prevent the development of other diseases

Because complaints develop slowly over a long period and patients perceive these complaints as a natural part of aging, patients consult a physician late, which leads to disease-related complications.

Benign prostate enlargement can cause kidney failure

If there is a delay in early diagnosis of benign prostate enlargement and also a delay in treatment, kidney failure may develop as a result of bladder dysfunction, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infection, bladder stones, and sudden complete inability to urinate.

Differential diagnosis methods are used in diagnosing prostate enlargement

There are many other diseases besides BPH that can cause urinary complaints. Chief among them are prostate cancer, bladder cancer, urinary tract strictures, stone disease, urinary tract infections, neurological diseases of the bladder, diabetes, and medications. For this reason, differential diagnosis carried out by the specialist physician through targeted questioning, physical examination, and special tests is a very important stage before treatment. In conclusion, the success of treatment depends on correct diagnosis and correct treatment.

What Are the Treatment Methods?

Treatment methods applied for prostate enlargement can be divided into two: water vapor therapy (Rezum) and surgical methods.

What Is Rezum? How Is It Done?

Rezum technology is a treatment method that aims to reduce the size of the prostate gland by using the energy of hot water vapor in prostate enlargement. This procedure, which can be performed under local anesthesia, is carried out in a closed (endoscopic) manner. After entering through the urinary tract with a camera, small needles are inserted into the prostate tissue. With the help of these needles, a destructive effect is applied to the prostate tissue and the enlarged tissue is eliminated. With this procedure, the enlarged tissues in patients can be destroyed within an average of 10 minutes.

Because the procedure does not require hospitalization, patients can return home the same day. In patients who return to their normal lives within a day or two, the effect of the treatment can be observed in the 2nd or 3rd weeks. However, in some cases this effect may extend up to 6 weeks.

Positive results have been observed in preserving sexual function in patients who underwent the Rezum method for a prostate volume smaller than 80-100 grams. For this reason, this method, which is preferred mostly in younger patients, results in less of the retrograde ejaculation problem frequently seen in those treated with the classic method.

Surgery is generally the preferred method in treating the disease

When determining the treatment method for each patient, the size and type of prostate growth, whether the bladder is affected, the severity of the patient's complaints, age, and the presence of other diseases are all taken into account. Close follow-up, drug treatments, and surgical treatments are the main methods applied in the treatment of benign prostate enlargement (BPH). Today, TUR-Prostate surgery, which is more commonly known as closed prostate surgery, is performed as the gold standard treatment.

The risk of recurrence is very low in patients who undergo surgical treatment!

Patients may be directed straight to surgical treatment when they do not respond adequately to drug treatments or when their clinical condition requires it. The patient and the doctor should discuss the recommended surgical methods together in terms of their benefits and risks, and decide on the method most suitable for the patient. The most effective and permanent methods in BPH treatment are surgical methods. With surgical methods, the enlarged part of the prostate that blocks the urinary tract is removed in its entirety. The risk of needing to undergo surgery again over a long period is very low in patients who receive surgical treatment.

Situations in which surgical treatment should be applied

The patient becomes completely unable to urinate

Patients who do not respond adequately to drug therapy and minimally invasive methods

Continued bleeding in the urine

Stone formation in the bladder due to the obstruction caused by the enlarged prostate

Frequent urinary tract infections

Kidney failure developing due to long-lasting obstruction in the urinary tract