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00:18Urologist at Valley Medical Center and the St. Augustine Private Hospital is urging men to pay closer attention to a
00:25condition that affects almost every man as he ages.
00:28Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
00:32Dr. Vimal Sita-Hal says 100% of men will develop BPH by age 90 or earlier.
00:39BPH occurs when the prostate gland enlarges, placing pressure on the urethra and affecting urine flow.
00:46The prostate is situated right below the bladder.
00:49So as it grows, it grows inward to block the urethra.
00:52The urethra is the tube that we pass urine from.
00:55So as the bladder compresses and contracts to allow the urine to come out, the prostate itself blocks that passage.
01:02In addition to frequent urination, other common symptoms include a weak urinary stream, intimacy, straining and incomplete emptying of the
01:11bladder.
01:12Dr. Sita-Hal says many men dismiss these signs as just aging, but warns her that the condition can worsen
01:19if left untreated.
01:20Dr. Vimal Sita-Hal says they're going to have an increase in frequency.
01:23Some men, they're going to have urination that comes and stops.
01:26An increase in urination in the night or nocturia is actually probably one of the most common symptoms.
01:32And then the stream is going to be decreased and something called terminal dribbling.
01:37And as men, most older guys are going to have some of this that after they finish pee, they're going
01:41to be wet in their underwear a bit.
01:42And those are the early signs of the problem.
01:45As signs get later on, then we reach to having to use the bathroom every half an hour or more.
01:52And then retention.
01:54And acute urinary retention is the inability to pass that urine.
01:58And then they require a catheter.
02:00However, diet and lifestyle choices can also play a major role.
02:04It's to control the lifestyle of it.
02:06The alcohol will make us pee more often on top of our BPH.
02:09So I have guys who will, if they drink any amount of alcohol, they will have to pass urine four
02:15or five times in the night.
02:16So now we stop drinking alcohol and those are the lifestyle modifications we want.
02:20Certain diets as well, diets that are high in spice or curry, can cause BPH symptoms to get worse.
02:26Dr. Sita-Hal says men are open to visiting their doctors and having difficult conversations.
02:32He adds that with modern technology, screening is simpler and less invasive.
02:38Long ago, men wouldn't have come to a doctor.
02:41There was a fear of the rectal exam and things like that.
02:43I would like to say that rectal exams are now physically out of the screening for prostate cancer.
02:48Just come do your blood test so that we know who is at risk.
02:51We just need to screen those guys that are symptomatic enough that we think they need care for.
02:55And that would be medication to start for the treatment.
03:00And then our medication moves up to stronger medication, which will shrink down their prostate.
03:05If we fail on those medications or we can't tolerate the medication because of side effects, then there are operations
03:11for BPH.
03:12He says treatment for BPH varies and also addresses a common misconception about surgery.
03:19It's very poorly understood when men get BPH surgery.
03:23They think that their prostate has completely been removed and that is false.
03:28We're going to, as it grows in to block our bladder, we're going to remove that part of the prostate
03:33that was blocking our bladder.
03:35Once that part of the prostate is removed, the other part of the prostate, the outer part of the prostate,
03:40is still there and can still undergo cancerous changes.
03:43Dr. Sita Hall says while BPH is not cancerous, it can significantly impact quality of life if left untreated.
03:51He is encouraging men experiencing symptoms to seek medical advice early, as a range of effective treatments are available.
03:59I am Charlotte Kisto with tonight's Health Watch.
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