📖 What is BPH?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that compresses the urethra, causing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). It affects over 50% of men over 60 and 90% over 85, making it one of the most common conditions in ageing men.
🎯 Symptoms
- Nocturia — waking 2 or more times per night to urinate
- Weak or intermittent urine stream — reduced flow, straining
- Urgency — sudden, difficult-to-defer urge to urinate
- Frequency — urinating more than every 2 hours during the day
- Incomplete emptying — sensation of residual urine
- Post-void dribbling — leakage after urination
🔧 Treatment options
💊 Medications (first line)
Alpha-blockers (tamsulosin, alfuzosin) relax the bladder neck. 5α-reductase inhibitors (finasteride, dutasteride) shrink the prostate. Effective for mild-moderate symptoms but require lifelong use.
🩸 Prostate artery embolization (PAE)
Minimally invasive alternative to surgery. Local anaesthesia. Outpatient. Ejaculation preserved. 80–85% IPSS improvement. Covered by French health insurance.
🏥 TURP (surgical gold standard)
Transurethral resection of the prostate. Highly effective (90–95% IPSS improvement) but requires general anaesthesia, hospitalisation, and causes retrograde ejaculation in 60–90%.
📊 IPSS score
International Prostate Symptom Score — rates symptom severity on a scale of 0–35. Score ≥8 indicates treatment consideration. Calculate your IPSS →
🔗 Related pages
🇫🇷 French version: hyperplasie-benigne-prostate.html