World Men’s Day – Are Urological Disorders Challenging Your Manhood?

Introduction

We all know that diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are life-threatening but the good thing about these conditions is that you can talk about them without being subjected to any kind of ridicule or shame. On the other hand, Urological Disorders continue to be a taboo that people do not like to speak about even with their friends.

With World Men’s Day just around the corner (November 19), we would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the most common urological disorders men face at least once in their lifetime and prefer not to talk about them because of a “social stigma” attached to them.

Additionally, you can also take health checkups to understand your health better. 

Most Common Urological Disorders in Men:

1. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

BPH basically means an enlarged prostate, which usually affects older men. Apart from being a very troublesome condition, it can be dangerous too. In this condition, the prostate, which is a walnut-sized gland found between the bladder and the male reproductive organ, gets bigger than its usual size and causes trouble in urination.

The most common symptoms of BPH include:

• Trouble in initiating urination
• A weak stream of urination
• Patient experiences dribbling at the end of urination
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Persistent feeling of bladder fullness due to improper emptying
• Pain during or after urination and/ or ejaculation

2. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

In this urological condition, a man experiences pain or burning sensation while urinating. Some people also experience cloudy urine after contracting UTI. There are some specific tests available to ascertain if the person is suffering from UTI or has some other condition.

UTI is easily treatable with a round of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.

3. Over Active bladder(OAB)

Overactive bladder is a combination of symptoms that can cause you to need to urinate more frequently, have more urgency, experience incontinence (leakage) and a need to urinate at night. 

• Urinary urgency: This is a failure to be able to postpone the need to urinate. When you feel you need to urinate, you have a limited amount of time to get to a bathroom.
• Frequency of urination: People who experience this symptom need to urinate very often. Typically, it’s an increase in the number of times you urinate compared to what you previously experienced.
• Urge incontinence: In this case, there can be a leakage of urine when you get the urge to urinate.
• Nocturia: This symptom is characterized by the need to get up and urinate at least two times each night.

4. Prostatitis

Prostatitis is a very prevalent condition among men. In it, the prostate gland gets swollen and inflamed. This condition presents itself with various troubling symptoms like pain while urinating, fever coupled with chills and pain in the abdominal, lower back and pelvic area (area of- the lower body in which the legs are attached).

Due to presenting similar symptoms, people usually confuse prostatitis with urinary tract infection. Hence, it is advised to see a urologist for an accurate diagnosis of the problem and opting the right course of treatment. Generally, antibiotics treat this problem effectively.

5. Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Erectile Dysfunction or ED refers to a condition in which a man finds it difficult to get or maintain an erection. There are plenty of modes of treatments available for this urological condition including medications, surgery, psychological counselling, lifestyle changes, testosterone replacement and acupuncture. The lifestyle changes that can help are weight loss, quitting to smoke, reducing stress and following a strict exercise regime. Additionally, inform your doctor if you have any history of allergy to medicines (if experienced in the past).

6. Infertility

This is also a very prevalent urological condition among men these days. The main causes of infertility among men, when they cannot conceive a child, are abnormal sperm production, genetic defects, underlying health conditions like diabetes, undescended testicles, trauma or prior surgeries on the testicles and prior infections like mumps.

When you are unable to conceive a child for over a year, you should immediately see a gynaecologist, an endocrinologist to diagnose the actual problem and begin with an accurate treatment plan.

7. Kidney Stones

This is a very common problem among the masses these days. It happens when minerals and other crystals, like uric acid and calcium, accumulate in the kidneys or any other part of the urinary tract. This causes a lot of pain and is really difficult to pass. These, however, are very easily diagnosable. The treatment for kidney stones is ascertained depending upon their size and location.

The doctors use medications to reduce the size of the stone to make it easily passable. There can be instances like the large size of the stone or it blocking the flow of urine when a surgical procedure may be required to remove them.

8. Prostate Cancer

The second biggest reason behind cancer-related deaths among men is prostate cancer. It begins with the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells in the prostate gland. Some of the most common causes of this kind of cancer are age, race, ethnicity and family history.

The best way to prevent and successfully treat prostate cancer is early detection of the disease. Experts suggest men should go for a regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test along with a digital rectal examination every year once they turn 40. The doctors decide the course of treatment depending upon the state of the disease. The treatment options include surgery, medications, radiation therapy and active surveillance.

Takeaway

Urological disorders are very common among men these days and they usually suffer in silence which leads to bigger troubles in the future. Instead of feeling ashamed of these common issues, people should treat these like every other health condition and see a doctor immediately to avoid any further complications. Avoid self-medicating and see a doctor immediately to avoid any further complications.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

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