Prostatitis vs. BPH Enlarged Prostate: Digging The Differences

Prostatitis vs. BPH Enlarged Prostate: Digging The Differences

Prostatitis and BPH Enlarged Prostate are both problems on prostate glands. This is a gland that surrounds the bladder of male. The prostate gland is responsible for releasing prostatic fluid that helps make up part of the semen. The prostate normally goes enlargement but the abnormal enlargement can be caused by both prostatitis and BPH. But what is the difference and how can we distinguish what is your case?


What is prostatitis?

Prostatitis is defined as the swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland, a walnut-sized gland situated directly below the bladder in men. It is a painful condition that can happen to any man at any age felt in the pelvic area. 


What is BPH (enlarged prostate)?

The enlarged prostate gland is medically called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). This is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged but not cancerous. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is also called benign prostatic hypertrophy or benign prostatic obstruction. It is normal that a man’s prostate goes through 2 main growth cycles, first is in early puberty where it doubles its size and the second time happens around the age 25 and goes on for most of the rest of a man's life. BPH most often occurs during this second growth phase.



Do prostatitis and BPH cause pain?

Both BPH and prostatitis may cause pain. However, if BPH causes pain, it usually occurs with urination (dysuria). And prostatitis may cause painful urination, painful ejaculations, and generalized groin/abdominal pain. Prostatitis pain may be more constant and may be due to the inflammation of the prostatic tissue and/or adjacent tissues. Experts point out that often the source of pain from prostatitis is unclear.



What are the symptoms of having BPH?

  • Needing to urinate often, might be every 1 to 2 hours, mainly at night.
  • Feeling that the bladder is full, even right after urinating
  • Feeling that urinating "can't wait"
  • A weak flow of urine
  • Needing to stop and start urinating several times
  • Trouble starting to urinate
  • Trouble starting to urinate
  • Needing to push or strain to urinate

What are the symptoms of having Prostatitis?

  • Pain or burning sensation when urinating (dysuria)
  • Difficulty urinating, such as dribbling or hesitant urination
  • Frequent urination, particularly at night (nocturia)
  • Urgent need to urinate
  • Cloudy urine
  • Blood in the urine
  • Pain in the abdomen, groin or lower back
  • Pain in the area between the scrotum and rectum (perineum)
  • Pain or discomfort of the penis or testicles
  • Painful ejaculation
  • Flu-like signs and symptoms (with bacterial prostatitis)


Treatment for Prostatitis and BPH


The treatment for the two is different, here are the treatment plan for prostatitis:

  • Your treatment for prostatitis will depend on the cause. Antibiotics are often used to treat bacterial prostatitis. If you have a more severe infection, you may need to get antibiotics through your vein. You may have to take antibiotics for two weeks or longer until the infection clears up.
  • alpha-blockers, which are medicines that relax the muscles around the prostate and help you urinate more easily
  • nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) or aspirin (Bufferin), for pain relief
  • prostate massage
  • You can also soak in a warm bath or sit on a cushion to ease the pressure on your prostate.

And here are the treatment plan for BPH:

  • Drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors block conversion of testosterone to a substance that contributes to the benign prostate growth, called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These drugs include dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar).
  • heat with radiofrequency ablation
  • microwave energy
  • high-intensity ultrasound waves
  • electric current vaporization


I hope you learn the differences and understand each in this article. If you are feeling any symptoms please consult your doctor since these two are serious conditions.



Reference:

https://www.medicinenet.com/

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