Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Topic Page:
Enlarged Prostate (BPH) and Prostatitis Topic Page
View All Enlarged Prostate Health Alerts • View All Enlarged Prostate Special Reports
The prostate is a gland located at the base of a man’s bladder, behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. This gland, which is roughly the size and shape of a small crab apple, weighs only about an ounce in young men. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and transports semen during ejaculation. A good way to envision the prostate is as an apple with the core removed, with the urethra passing through the middle.
The prostate’s primary function is to produce prostatic fluid, a component of semen. Also, during ejaculation, smooth muscles in the prostate contract to help propel semen through the urethra. Technically the prostate is not part of the urinary system. But because of its location and relationship to the urethra, the prostate can (and often does) affect urinary function.
- What is Enlarged Prostate—Also Known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)? When a man reaches his mid-40s, the area of the prostate that encircles the urethra begins to grow. This overgrowth of prostate tissue is called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. With continued growth, the expanding prostate may constrict the urethra, causing symptoms such as difficulty starting urination or a weak urine stream. BPH occurs in approximately 31 percent of men between the ages of 50 and 59, 36 percent of men age 60 to 69, and 44 percent of those age 70 and older. Not all of these men experience urinary tract problems related to BPH, but many do. Although BPH can cause a number of bothersome symptoms, it is not life threatening.
- What is Prostatitis? Also known as inflammation of the prostate, prostatitis is common and often frustrating. It can cause pain in the lower back and in the area between the scrotum and rectum (the perineum) and may be accompanied by chills, fever, and a general feeling of malaise. Nearly half of all men will develop prostatitis at some point in their lives.
How Johns Hopkins can help. If you or someone you care about has BPH or prostatitis, obtaining accurate information is an important part of the treatment plan. Johns Hopkins Medicine is ideally positioned to provide you with timely, authoritative information and advice on conditions affecting the prostate. Johns Hopkins is ranked No. 1 in Urology by U.S. News and World Report's annual Rankings of American hospitals—and No. 1 overall.
- At Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, H. Ballentine Carter, M.D., Director of Adult Urology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Urology, and his colleagues discuss the prevention, diagnosis, and daily management of BPH and prostatitis.
- You’ll find articles on: BPH drugs and sexual dysfunction, combination therapy for BPH, medications for chronic prostatitis, the importance of a BPH-friendly diet, overactive bladder, and much more.
