Prostate Gland Enlargement and Receiving Social Security Disability
For a man, your prostate is the small walnut-shaped gland in your male reproductive system that has the job of making seminal fluid. Seminal fluid is the fluid that carries and nourishes sperm. Learn about prostate gland enlargement and how you can possibly receive disability benefits if you have it. Prostate gland enlargement is a condition in which your prostate increases in size. Prostate gland enlargement is a condition that develops most of the time in men who are over the age of 50. Your prostate gland can start to press on your urethra as it enlarges and block the flow of urine that is leaving your bladder. Prostate gland enlargement may also lead to kidney, bladder and urinary tract problems. Prostate gland enlargement is referred to in other ways. It is also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH and benign prostatic hypertrophy. As stated earlier, prostate gland enlargement is a condition that is often found in men who are over the age of 50. Studies have shown that 50% of men who are over the age of 50 have prostate gland enlargement. The percentage increases to 90% in men who reach the age of 85. In fact, in the United States, prostate gland enlargement is the most common prostate problem for men who are over the age of 50. The prostate will go on growing in most men for as long as they are alive. This continued growth of the prostate gland may lead to several difficulties. Scientists have not yet discovered what causes prostate gland enlargement. Some researchers think that this condition may be connected with the balance of sex hormones as men continue to grow older.Prostate Gland Enlargement Risk Factors
There are some risk factors that may increase your risk of having prostate gland enlargement. Some of these include:- Being a man who is older than age 50
- ? Having a family history of the condition
- ? Being of white or black ethnic background.
Signs you might have Prostate Gland Enlargement
There are many different signs and symptoms that may be an indication of prostate gland enlargement. Some of these are:- ? The continued dribbling of your urine
- ? Difficulty beginning to urinate
- ? Having to get up frequently during the night to urinate
- ? Having a slow or weak urinary stream
- ? Having to urinate often
- ? An impairment in the function of your kidneys
- ? Hematuria (blood in your urine)
- ? An urgency to urinate
- ? A feeling like you have not completely emptied your bladder
- ? Having to return again to urinate only minutes after you have finished urinating
- ? Having to strain to urinate
- ? Having a urinary stream that stops and starts
- ? The formation of stones in your bladder
- ? Getting urinary tract infections.
- ? PSA blood test (prostate-specific antigen blood test)
- ? Urodynamic studies and pressure flow studies
- ? Postvoid residual volume test
- ? Urinary flow test
- ? Urinalysis (urine test)
- ? Intravenous CT urogram or pyelogram
- ? Neurological exam
- ? Cystoscopy or urethrocystoscopy
- ? Prostate biopsy (taking a tiny sample of tissue from your prostate)
- ? Transrectal ultrasound.