(CNN Spanish) – King Charles III is already in hospital receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace reported on Wednesday.
From the palace they explained that the king was seeking treatment “like thousands of men do every year” and that his condition was “benign.” In addition, they stated that the hospital visit was a “corrective procedure” and explained that the 75-year-old British ruler's public engagements will be postponed for a short period while he recovers.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate, affects about 50% of men between the ages of 51 and 60 and up to 90% of men over the age of 80, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health in the United States (NIH),
What is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia?
The prostate is a gland that produces fluid that goes into semen, and this gland surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine leaves the body, explains MedlinePlus.
According to the NIH, benign prostate enlargement means the gland has grown and is pressing on the urethra as it increases in size. “As urine flows from the bladder through the urethra, the pressure caused by the enlarged prostate could affect bladder control,” the NIH explains on its official website.
The institutes state that this condition usually occurs in the second phase of prostate growth, which begins around age 25 and lasts for most of a man's life. The first phase occurs during puberty, when the prostate doubles in size.
Additionally, the NIH states that it is not cancer and generally does not pose a serious health threat. However, the United States National Cancer Institute warns that the symptoms of BPH and prostate cancer can be similar.
What are the symptoms and how do I know if I have it?
Although MedlinePlus notes that fewer than half of men with BPH have symptoms, some of them include:
- Frequent and urgent urge to urinate.
- Difficulty urinating, even when you feel like it.
- Weak urine flow.
- Every time you go to the toilet, there is not enough urine.
- Feeling like you need to urinate more even though you just did.
- Dripping urine.
- Small amounts of blood in your urine.
According to the US National Cancer Institute, BPH is not considered a serious illness, but caution is advised as it can lead to weak bladder, bladder or kidney infections, complete blockage of urine flow and kidney failure.
Although it is not clear what causes this disease, there are some risk factors: a family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia; Conditions such as obesity; heart and circulatory diseases; type 2 diabetes; Lack of exercise and erectile dysfunction.
For this reason, specialists recommend that men undergo an examination immediately if they have symptoms, as well as an annual examination starting from the age of 40 if risk factors are present and from the age of 50 if there are no risk factors.
The US National Institutes of Health states that doctors perform several tests to determine the diagnosis, including:
- Rectal examination.
- Blood test to detect prostate specific antigen (PSA).
- X-ray images.
- Uroflowmetry (urination in a special device that measures how fast urine flows).
- cystoscopy.