Some treatments for an enlarged prostate can reduce your chances of getting complications, but they don't prevent them altogether.

Your urinary tract is the system of tubes that carry urine from your

 

 

 

 

 

bladder
Your bladder is the hollow organ at the top of your pelvis that stores urine. It is similar to a balloon, only with stronger walls. It fills up with urine until you go to the bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

bladder to outside your body. Your urinary tract can become infected when germs called

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria travel up your urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your penis) and into your bladder. The bacteria can breed and make your urethra or the lining of your bladder swell up. Your doctor may call this

 

 

 

 

 

cystitis
Cystitis is an inflammation of the wall of your bladder. It can make you feel as if you want to urinate all the time. The term is often used to describe a urinary tract infection that involves your lower urinary tract (your bladder and urethra) but not your kidneys. These infections are most often caused by bacteria.

 

 

 

 

 

cystitis.

If you have a urinary tract infection, you will probably feel like you need to urinate urgently and often. But when you get to the bathroom, you will produce little urine. You may also have a burning feeling when you urinate and a pain in your lower belly where your bladder is. You may also have a mild fever and feel generally unwell. Urinary tract infections are easily treated with antibiotics (drugs that kill bacteria), but they can sometimes spread to your kidneys. Infections in your kidneys can be quite serious. This is why it's important to get checked out by your doctor.

If your bladder doesn't empty properly or you get frequent urinary tract infections, you may get bladder stones. These are usually between one-sixteenth and three-fourths of an inch across, although they can grow much bigger. They're made from minerals in your urine, usually calcium, which form crystals when your urine stands still.

You may not notice if you've got very small stones, but larger stones can irritate the lining of your bladder. You may get a lot of pain when you urinate, you may feel intense pain on one side, and you may have to go to the bathroom more often than usual. You may also have blood in your urine or problems urinating. If you get any of these symptoms, see your doctor right away. If you don't treat bladder stones, they can damage the muscles in your bladder wall. This may make you unable to control the flow of urine from your body (this is called incontinence).

The kidneys get rid of waste products from your blood and make urine. If your kidneys are damaged by an enlarged prostate, then you can get kidney failure. We're not exactly sure how many men with an enlarged prostate get kidney failure because there are no published numbers, but it's probably not very many.

In kidney failure, waste and water from your body are not filtered out very well, and they start to build up in your body and your blood. To treat kidney failure, doctors try to slow down the damage and return your body's balance of fluids to normal. If the damage continues, your blood may need to be cleaned by a machine that does the job of your kidneys. This is called dialysis.

Every year, 1 or 2 men out every 100 with an enlarged prostate get acute urinary retention.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Barry MJ, Fowler FJ, Bin L, et al.
The natural history of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia as diagnosed by North American urologists.
Journal of Urology. 1997; 157: 10-15.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jacobsen S, Jacobson D, Girman C, et al.
Natural history of prostatism: risk factors for acute urinary retention.
Journal of Urology. 1997; 158: 481-487.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
McConnell J, Bruskewitz R, Walsh P, et al.
The effect of finasteride on the risk of acute urinary retention and the need for surgical treatment among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 338: 557-563.

 

 

 

 

 

³ This is when you suddenly are unable to urinate at all. Your chance of getting this complication goes up as you get older. Nearly 1 in 10 men in their seventies who have an enlarged prostate will have an episode of acute urinary retention.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jacobsen S, Jacobson D, Girman C, et al.
Natural history of prostatism: risk factors for acute urinary retention.
Journal of Urology. 1997; 158: 481-487.

 

 

 

 

 

²

AUR is unpleasant and painful. It's an emergency. You may be admitted to the hospital. A tube called a catheter will be put into your bladder through your penis to drain off the urine.

Afterward, you'll probably have surgery to relieve the blockage.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Oishi K, Boyle P, Barry MJ, et al.
Epidemiology and natural history of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
In: Denis L, Griffiths K, Khoury S, et al (editors). Fourth International Consultation on BPH, Proceedings. Health Publications, Plymouth, UK; 1998: 23-59.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ You may have an operation called a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP for short). This is when some of your prostate tissue is removed using a wire passed through your urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your penis). See Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for more information.

Getting treatment for your enlarged prostate can help prevent an episode of acute urinary retention. For example, men with an enlarged prostate can cut their risk of this complication by more than half if they use a drug called finasteride for a long period.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
McConnell J, Bruskewitz R, Walsh P, et al.
The effect of finasteride on the risk of acute urinary retention and the need for surgical treatment among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 338: 557-563.

 

 

 

 

 

³ For more information, see What treatments work for an enlarged prostate?

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