You and Mr. Prostate

I ran across the findings of a 2019 survey of some 3,000 men, age 50+ who were asked about prostate issues. Sponsored by the European Association of Urology (EAU), the survey revealed only 1 in 4 men were aware of what benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) meant nor did they possess an understanding of the many health issues that can arise from an ever-enlarging prostate and restricted urine flow.¹

When we start having trouble in the bathroom...

As he got older, my dad was having issues urinating due to BPH and not willing to visit an MD. Not only was he visiting the bathroom more frequently, but he was also taking longer and longer to complete the task at hand. I often joked and asked if he had replaced his high-pressure garden hose with a new drip irrigation system.

If you are male and use any public restroom you can often see someone who is clearly struggling. While I am tempted to say something about the need to visit a local MD to discuss the issue, I do not for all the obvious reasons. No need to embarrass someone or be misunderstood by handing them my business card.

A lack of understanding about prostate health

Earlier in 2018, the EAU conducted a survey of 2,500 men and women which revealed a disturbing and significant lack of understanding when it comes to prostate health issues. They found that 28% of women knew what a prostate was and could clearly and correctly identify its location. In sharp contrast, just 22% of men could do the same.²

As a two-time prostate cancer survivor who has undergone surgery, radiation treatment, and androgen deprivation therapy, I meet with men at a local hospital who are about to undergo prostate surgery. 

At one of our recent pre-op meeting with some 30 men and their spouses in attendance, a couple approached following my presentation and began to ask questions about the upcoming robotic surgery. As we spoke the man’s wife noted that her husband had been having issues for years and was sorry that he had not visited a doctor earlier. He was diagnosed with a Gleason 8 and they were hopeful it was still contained as the pre-op scans had suggested.

We must stay informed and up to date

I asked if he had ever been diagnosed with prostatitis. He looked puzzled and admitted that he had never heard of such a thing. His wife then said she did not think he ever had a prostate infection.

While I was taken back by his lack of understanding it was clear, she knew what prostatitis was. She then added that prostatitis could be either an acute bacterial infection or even a chronic form of the disease that was left over from an early treatment. She went on to describe chronic prostatitis along with a remarkable description of acute asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis which is often discovered inadvertently when doctors test for prostate cancer. Candidly it was clear who was well informed.

It's time to take ownership of our health

The husband who was about to undergo surgery in the next few days was unaware of his wife’s knowledge. Out of curiosity, I asked him if he had been experiencing BPH symptoms prior to surgery. He asked what BPH was. His wife added that it was an enlargement of the prostate and that it could slow down urine flow. Clearly the conversation revealed some of the differences between men and women when it comes to health concerns.

Given the symptoms for prostatitis and BPH can mirror those for prostate cancer and even advanced prostate cancer, men really need to take ownership of their overall prostate health. Men apparently also have a long way to go on the education side as well since the findings of the 2018 EAU survey also showed that 54% of men mistakenly believed that women also had a prostate.² That is something to think about.