KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- Are you above 50 and do you awaken more
than once in the middle of the night to ease your bladder?
Are you losing sleep and waking up feeling as though you have not slept the
whole night through? If so, you may be suffering from Benign Prostatic
Hyperplasia, or BPH, a condition which also causes you feeling full, despite
emptying your bladder.
BPH, caused by the enlargement of the prostate gland and occurs commonly in
men over 50 years of age, Datuk Dr Rohan Malek, Head of Urology Services,
Hospital Selayang, said during a briefing on the free public screening of BPH
and prostate cancer campaign held at the Malaysian Medical Academy recently.
BPH is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males worldwide, with 3 per
cent of its patients succumbing to the disease.
COMPLICATIONS IN BPH
“BPH is non-cancerous. However, other complications can arise as BPH is a
progressive disease. If left untreated, there is a risk of BPH-related surgery
or kidney damage,” said Dr Rohan and admitted that BPH was still under-diagnosed
and under-treated.
The free public screening has been organised with a focus on urging
Malaysian men to detect and treat BPH at an early stage.
Data on men above 50 years of age, that will be obtained from eight
screening sites around the Klang Valley, will be used to conduct an
epidemiological cross-sectional study on the disease. The study, initiated by
the Malaysian Urological Association (MUA), is in response to the lack of
information on prostate disease among various age and ethnic groups in Malaysia.
“The target population would not only include residents in the Klang Valley,
but also those in southern Perak, western Pahang and northern Negeri Sembilan.
"There is a paucity of data on the pattern of lower urinary
tract symptoms (LUTS) among Malaysian men. We want them to have a better
understanding on the risks of developing these diseases,” Brig. Gen. Datuk Dr
Selvalingam Sothlingam, a urologist with the Ministry of Defense, said at the
same briefing.
SYMPTOMS OF BPH
The prostate is a small gland, about the size of a walnut, and grows
significantly during puberty and pauses by the age of 40. In many men, it slowly
starts growing again and continues to grow as they age.
Approximately half of all men develop one of the three prostate diseases or
may have more than one. Other diseases of the LUTS, including bladder cancer,
bladder stones, prostate cancer or urethral obstruction, produce symptoms
similar to BPH – such as a poor stream of urine, straining to urinate and
hesitancy or difficulty in starting urination.
The most common surgical procedure for the treatment of BPH is the TURP or
''transurethral resection of the prostate'', which removes the prostatic tissue to
create a larger channel for the patient to urinate.
However, in 5 per cent of the patients, surgery to remove the enlarged
gland, or prostatectomy, is expected to result in an immediate reduction in
symptoms and a possible re-growth of the prostate causing obstruction.
“We perform about two to three surgeries a week at Universiti Malaya Medical
Centre (UMMC). We try to avoid performing the surgery on older patients, as this
could cause more complications. Worldwide and in Malaysia, including KL and
Kuching, the surgery is carried out using robotics,” Prof Azad Hassan Abdul
Razack, a surgeon at UMMC, said.
At Hospital Selayang, about four prostate surgeries are carried out every
week.
SCREENING FOR BPH
At the public screening, urine microscopy, uroflowmeter and post-void
residue measurement will be conducted, and transrectal prostate volume
measurement undertaken in consenting eligible candidates (50 year old males)
interested in finding out more about their prostate gland.
The screening will be carried out by urological teams from Hospital Kuala
Lumpur (HKL), Hospital Selayang, UMMC and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical
Centre (UKMMC), on weekends during the month of July.
PROSTATE SCREENING FOR ALL, JUST COME ALONG!
On the first weekend of July, from 8am to 5pm, men can be screened at
Hospital Selayang, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang and the UKMMC.
Hospital Serdang and UMMC have conducted the screenings on July 9 and 10
while HKL and Hospital Sungai Buloh will conduct the same on July 16 and 17.
Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan, for veterans of armed forces, will
also conduct a similar screening on July 16 and 17.
Prostate cancer is a treatable disease, though its management can be
complex. Early detection of prostate cancer is perhaps the key to potential cure
and increased awareness of symptoms related to prostate, risk factors of
prostate cancer and available tools for screening are crucial. All this can
prevent mortality in prostate cancer patients, noted the experts.
-- BERNAMA
HBH PR INE RON
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