By age 50, 5 out of 10 men have an enlarged prostate (BPH). By age 80, up to 9 out of 10 men have an enlarged prostate.1 Having an enlarged prostate does not always cause symptoms. But BPH symptoms also are age-related. By age 55, about 3 out of 10 men report symptoms.1 By age 75, 5 out of 10 men complain of a decrease in the force of their urine streams.2
Lower urinary tract problems in men under age 40 are most likely caused by other conditions, such as prostate infection or failure of the smooth bladder muscles to relax during urination (voiding dysfunction).
References
Citations
Paterson R, Goldenberg L (2001). Benign prostatic hyperplasia. In J Teichman, ed., 20 Common Problems in Urology, part 2, pp. 185–198. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Presti JC, et al. (2008). Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) section of Neoplasms of the prostate gland. In EA Tanagho, JW McAninch, eds., Smith’s General Urology, 17th ed., pp. 348–370. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Credits
| Author | Monica Rhodes |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology/Oncology |
| Last Updated | March 24, 2008 |
