The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and out of the body. A young man's prostate is about the size of a walnut. It slowly grows larger with age. If it gets too large, it can cause problems. This is very common after age 50. The older men get, the more likely they are to have prostate trouble.
Some common problems are
- Prostatitis - an infection, usually caused by bacteria
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH - an enlarged prostate, which may cause dribbling after urination or a need to go often, especially at night
- Prostate cancer - a common cancer that responds best to treatment when detected early
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Prostate Health: What Every Man Needs to Know(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/306_prostate.html
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Prostate Problems
(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/prostate.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/Spanish/prostate-sp.htm -
What I Need to Know about Prostate Problems
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostate_ez/
Also available in Spanish http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/prostate/index.htm
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Understanding Prostate Changes: A Health Guide for Men(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understanding-prostate-changes
- Prostate Meds Not Tied to Increased Hip Fracture Risk(10/07/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70157.html
- Blood in Urine (Hematuria)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/blood-in-urine/DS01013/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Cystoscopy - Men
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopymale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopymalespanish/htm/index.htm - Diagnosis of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)(American Urological Association) - http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=173
- Genital Pain in Men(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/genital-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Genital Problems in Men(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/539.printerview.html
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Hematuria (Blood in the Urine)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/hematuria/
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Medical Tests for Prostate Problems(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/medtestprostate/
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Ultrasound of the Prostate(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=us-prostate
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=us-prostate
- Medical Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)(American Urological Association) - http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=101
- Minimally Invasive Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)(American Urological Association) - http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=104
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Prostate Surgery - TURP(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/turp/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/turpspanish/htm/index.htm
- Surgical Management of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia)(American Urological Association) - http://urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=131
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Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/PSA
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/PSA-spanish
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Saw Palmetto(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/palmetto/
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Causes and Management of Prostatitis(American Urological Association) - http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=115
Also available in Spanish http://urologyhealth.org/espanol/espanol.cfm?topic=115
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Prostate Enlargement: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement/
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Prostatitis: Disorders of the Prostate(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostatitis/
- Recurrent Prostate Infection: What Are the Treatment Options?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/prostate-infection/AN00931/METHOD=print
- Your Joint Replacement: Urological Procedures & Antibiotics(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00383
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Cystoscopy - Men(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopymale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopymalespanish/htm/index.htm
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Prostate Surgery - TURP(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/turp/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/turpspanish/htm/index.htm
- What Is Your Prostate?(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/bodysys/edbody13.htm
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Your Urinary System and How It Works(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yoururinary/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Prostatic Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Prostatic+Diseases%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Prostatic Hyperplasia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Prostatic+Hyperplasia%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: By the way, doctor. I have been taking Avodart for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18780418&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Testosterone replacement therapy for the primary care physician. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18700068&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Management of benign prostatic hyperplasia by the primary care physician... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18700062&tool=MedlinePlus
- Prostate Diseases -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(prostatic+diseases[majr]+NOT+prostatic+neoplasms[majr)+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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Directory of Kidney and Urologic Diseases Organizations(National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/resources/organizations.htm
- Find a Urologist(American Urological Association) - http://urologyhealth.org/find_urologist/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
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National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/
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National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/
- FASTATS: Prostate Disease(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/prostate.htm
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Kidney and Urologic Diseases Statistics for the United States(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/kustats/
- Prostate Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prostatecancer.html
- Male Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/malereproductivesystem.html
- Men - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/men.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Prostate Diseases is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/