Prostate Problems And The Risk Factors

The prostate is a great little gland about the size of a full size walnut that is only found in the male of the Homo sapien species (human beings) and produces the fluid carrying sperm during ejaculation.

There are great deals of problems that can occur in the prostate, although the likelihood of this happening is low. These problems generally occur in the older male, and mostly in those aged over sixty years in age. To put this in perspective, more than seventy percent of men affected with the ravages of prostate cancer are aged sixty five years of age or older.

The three main problems that men of all ages suffer with are, prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

Prostatitis is a condition that can affect men of any age and happens due to inflamed cells in the prostate. These inflamed cells make the prostate swell in size causing the prostate to press against the tube that carries urine out of the body (the urethra).

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition that mainly affects men that are older. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the swelling of the prostate; this is not caused by inflamed cells but due to the age of the male who has it. The reason this happens in older men is because of hormonal dysfunction of testosterone.

Prostate cancer, the most dangerous of all prostate problems, is the build up of cancer cells in the prostate. These cancer cells multiple rapidly causing a tumor that increases in size. Over time the cancerous cells can find their way out of the prostate and affect the bones and lymph nodes making treatment more difficult as the disease takes hold.

It is not known what causes prostate cancer but for those who have cancer diagnosed early the signs for recovery are good, but for those who do not seek medical advice early on in the growth of the cancer cells, the chances of recovery can be bleak.

Older males are a lot more likely to suffer with prostate problems than any other age group and American men are the most likely to have prostate cancer with those from south and east Asia being the least likely.

The symptoms one may suffer with when they have a prostate problem tend to revolve around urination. If you happen to have difficulty urinating, blood passes during urination or you are urinating a lot more than usual then this could be a sign of prostate problems, also if you are having problems having and keeping an erection this can be a sign of a prostate problem to, among other conditions.

It is important to know what the prostate is, and what it does in its job role to have a grasp on the different processes it is involved in. It is also important to understand the signs of prostate problems can be important in trying to stay alive, or on a lesser note, trying to keep a healthy, long lasting, enjoyable sex life.

About the Author:
Mike Serovey is the owner and webmaster for http://www.mikeserovey.net where you can submit your articles for free.