22
iron men
The HEALTH | AUGUST, 2018
Common
symptoms
when a
prostate
enlarges
• Taking a longer time to urinate
• Straining to push to start
• Having to take a deep breath
before hitting the wall
• A sensation that the bladder
hasn’t been fully emptied and
the urge to visit the lavatory
every few minutes and at night
frequent visits resulting in
interrupted sleep
• Burning sensation and
discomfort
• Dribbling of urine – resulting in
a stained under garment after
urinating
Benign prostatic
hyperplasia
(BPH).
• Difficulty in holding the bladder
Most people with prostatic cancer
present very late because they do not
have urinary symptoms.
Functions of a prostate
Benign prostatic
hyperplasia
When urinating
becomes a task
PRESCRIPTIVE
LAUGHTER
Bob was in trouble. He forgot his
wedding anniversary. His wife
was really angry. She told him
“Tomorrow morning, I expect
to find a gift in the driveway that
goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds
AND IT BETTER BE THERE!” The
next morning he got up early and
left for work. When his wife woke
up, she looked out the window
and sure enough there was a box
gift-wrapped in the middle of the
driveway. Confused, the wife put on
her robe and ran out to the driveway,
brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand
new bathroom scale. Bob has been
missing since then.
P
ROSTATE — the most
common illness is not pros-
tate cancer, but issues with
the non-cancerous form of
the prostate. This is seen in
older individuals; above 50 years old —
as the prostate is enlarged big enough to
cause reduction in the flow rate.
Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur Con-
sultant Urologist Dr S A Balan explained
that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
happens when the prostate is enlarged.
“When we look at the anatomy of the
prostate, it is basically a small walnut size
gland which sits below the bladder and
the urine passes through the prostate.
The analogy is taking an apple, we have
Dr S A
Balan.
the skin of the apple and the fleshy white
bit. Imagine, drilling a hole through
the apple with the seeds and the urine
passing through and the prostate being
the apple. The fleshy white bit — that
is where BPH takes place. That part
enlarges and narrows the part in which
the urine actually flows.”
Patients who speak of prostate and a
reduction in flow are usually concerned
if it is cancerous.
Balan pointed out that the cancer does
not occur from the white flashy bit.
“Cancer occurs from the skin of the
prostate — the peripheral zone of the
prostate — not as thin as the skin, but
that is where the prostatic cancer occurs.”
Treatments
Transurethral resection (TURP) gold
standard is one of the most effective
options for treating urinary symptoms
caused by BPH. During TURP, a com-
bined visual and surgical instrument
is inserted through the tip of the penis
and into the tube that carries urine from
the bladder. Using the resectoscope,
the excess prostate tissue that is block-
ing urine flow is trimmed away. This
increases the size of the channel that
allows you to empty your bladder.
Other surgical treatments available
are open surgery (prostatectomy), TUVP
(Lasers) and prostatic stents.
ALODOKTER.COM
Does bubble in
the urine a sign
of renal failure?
What color must your urine be and how
much water should you drink? Eight litres
or 10 litres? This is a common question
asked by most people.
Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur Con-
sultant Urologist Dr S A Balan indicates
that all that is required is for the urine to
be light yellow.
“If you are passing urine that is clear
– you are over doing yourself. If it’s dark,
drink a little bit more water, so that the
next time, it will be lighter.”
Bubbles in the urine seem to be yet
another concern as most people link it
with renal failure. However, Balan dis-
agrees with this notion, while pointing
out that if a person stands up to pee, it
The prostate actually produces alkaline
fluids.
“Common perception is that whenever
you ejaculate, the whole thing is sperm.
In fact, only 60 to 80 per cent is seminal
fluid and the remaining 20 per cent is
sperm. Within the seminal fluid, there is
the alkaline fluid that is actually produced
by the prostate where it neutralises the
acid proponent inside the vagina of the
lady — so that the sperm can actually
penetrate and move along. It actually acts
as a conduit for the semen to pass.”
Dr S A Balan indicates that all
that is required is for the urine to
be light yellow.
will form bubbles.
“If you feel that you’re perfectly
healthy, go do a renal analysis. It will tell
you whether you have protein in there. If
there are no proteins, then it’s nothing.
Protein bubbles are completely different,”
he said.