Are you a middle aged or elderly man having difficulty urinating or recently noticed a reduced force in the stream of your urine? It might even be blood you see in your urine or semen and you are not sure what it might be and you are not really sure where to turn to? It might even be all these crowned with erectile dysfunction, not to worry, we have got some discussion to do.
You might have heard of prostate cancer but you are not sure what it is all about. Let us talk about it. Prostate cancer is basically cancer of the prostate.
The prostate is a small walnut shaped gland situated below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. Behind the prostate are glands called seminal vesicles that contribute 70% of the seminal constituents. The prostate gland itself produces the fluid which combines with the sperm cells from the testicles and fluids from other glands to make up semen. The prostate gland also contains muscles which aids forceful propulsion of semen through the urethra out of the penis during ejaculation.
Prostate cancer is seen in 1 out of 8 men during their lifetime. African men have a higher predisposition to prostate cancer and it is often diagnosed in men at an average age of 65.
So who is at risk and what are the factors that increases the risk of developing the disease?
- The older a man grows, the more the risk of developing prostate cancer especially from the age of 50.
- Obese men have been found to present more with prostate cancer and the cancer is often more aggressive in these individuals than their counterparts with healthy weight.
- A family history of prostate cancer also increases the risk of having the disease.
- The Black race also has higher predisposition to prostate cancer as stated earlier.
- Smoking.
The early stages of prostate cancer often have no symptoms, so it most likely goes unnoticed as it advances. But when advanced, patients often present with a number of symptoms ranging from urinary problems to sexual dysfunctions and even body pain. The symptoms include:
- Frequent need to urinate which is often painful.
- Weak stream of urine
- Bloody urine
- Erectile dysfunction
- Unexplained loss of weight
- Pain in the bones of the back, pelvis and chest are seen in cases of metastasized cancer from the prostate.
Bear in mind, that one or more of these symptoms you or a loved one may be experiencing does not definitely diagnose prostate cancer. If suspicions are high, you notice any of the above listed symptoms or you think you might be at risk, please do seek expert medical consultations to have a proper checkup.
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