Prostate Calcification
All about Prostate Calcification and BPH
Prostate calcification is another name for the calcified stones that can develop in the prostate. Although prostate calcification can be nothing to worry about, it can also be a sign of a more serious underlying condition. One of the most common causes of such stones is BPH, benign prostatic hypertrophy.
BPH
BPH is a condition that occurs in older men where the prostate becomes inflamed. This inflammation is often directly related to prostate calcification. Often the secretions that accompany the calculi cause infections which contribute the inflammation of the prostate and to other problems associated with BPH.
BPH is a creeping disease that may go unnoticed for years before its symptoms start to demand attention. If left untreated for long enough, BPH can become a serious problem.
Symptoms of BPH
You are likely not to notice prostate calcification directly during BPH because, unlike kidney stones, the calculi themselves tend not be painful in and of themselves. However, overtime the prostate can become infected and inflamed and lead to the telltale signs of BPH.
The typical BPH sufferer will find that he increasingly needs to go to the bathroom. Often just minutes after he has left the bathroom, he will feel the urge to go again. When he gets there, however, he might find that he has little urine to deposit. Sometimes, even after he has finished going to the bathroom, he will feel the urge to continue but will not find any liquid left in his bladder. On the other hand, he might find that when he does go to the bathroom he has to strain to push his urine out. Even when it does come, he may find that he has to restart the flow after he has just finished.
The typical BPH sufferer may also find that he needs to go to the bathroom more frequently during the evening. The urge may be so strong that it may actually interrupt sleep patterns. An even more disconcerting symptom of BPH may be a difficulty in holding urine. The BPH sufferer may wake in the night to find that he has wet his bed or he may have an urge so strong that he wets himself before he manages to reach his bathroom. This symptom can occur during the day as well, making the BPH sufferer be constantly aware of the location of nearest restroom at every location he frequents.
BPH versus Kidney Stones
You should not confuse BPH’s prostate calcification with the more widely known kidney stones. The reason BPH can go without notice for years has to do with the location where the stones originate. In BPH the stones form in and around the prostate or bladder.
Kidney stones develop, as the name indicates, in the kidneys. They develop, usually, from leftover urine. One of the major differences between BPH and kidney stones is that when large kidney stones form they will often head down from the kidney towards the bladder and then into the urethra. However, they will often have difficulty passing down to the bladder and it is in this location that they cause the excruciating pain that so many sufferers from kidney stones report. BPH sufferers do not tend to notice their stones.
Treatment for BPH
The screening for BPH follows the same procedure as screenings for prostate cancer, although prostate calcification does not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer. Once your physician rules out cancer and confirms BPH there are a series of possible courses of treatment depending on the frequency and severity of a patient’s BPH. Sometimes these treatments simply involve lifestyle changes. Other times medications help to manage the symptoms. In some cases however, surgical intervention is necessary.
You should consult an urologist if you believe you may have BPH.