What causes prostate hypertrophy?

The prostate is the male sex gland organ. Many men suffer from prostate diseases after middle age. Prostate diseases have troubled male friends for a long time. People often see advertisements for various drugs for treating prostate diseases on TV, mainly targeting symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and incomplete urination. There are many symptoms of prostate diseases. The following will tell you what causes prostate hypertrophy.

The prostate is a male-specific sex gland organ. The prostate is chestnut-shaped, with the bottom facing upwards, attached to the bladder, the tip facing downwards, against the urogenital diaphragm, the front attached to the pubic symphysis, and the back close to the rectum. Therefore, the back of the prostate can be felt through rectal examination.

The development and growth of the human prostate gland is slow from birth to puberty. After puberty, the growth rate accelerates and reaches its peak at about 24 years old. Its size is relatively stable between 30 and 45 years old. After that, some people may tend to proliferate and the gland volume gradually increases. If the prostatic urethra is significantly compressed, it may cause obstruction of the bladder outlet and related symptoms of dysuria, which is prostatic hyperplasia. Since this hyperplasia is a benign lesion, its full name is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), formerly known as prostatic hyperplasia. Prostatic hyperplasia is a common disease in elderly men. Generally, pathological changes of hyperplasia begin to occur after the age of 40, and related symptoms appear after the age of 50.

1. The role of sex hormones: The presence of functional testicles is a necessary condition for the occurrence of prostate hyperplasia, and its incidence increases with age. Testosterone is a sex hormone in the male body. In the prostate, testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone with stronger action ability through the action of 5α-reductase. Dihydrotestosterone can promote the increase of prostate cells and gradually increase the size of the prostate. Inhibiting the action of 5α-reductase in the body will reduce the production of dihydrotestosterone, and the number of prostate cells will decrease, thereby reducing the size of the prostate. Some people also believe that there is a synergistic effect of estrogen and androgen in the development and changes of prostate hyperplasia, and the change in the balance of estrogen and androgen is the cause of prostate hyperplasia.

2. Prostate cells are embryonic reawakening: Studies have found that the initial pathological changes of prostate hyperplasia, namely the formation of hyperplastic nodules, only occur in an area accounting for 5% to 10% of the prostate gland, namely the transitional zone close to the prostate sphincter and the periurethral area located on the inner side of this sphincter. The initial change of prostate hyperplasia nodules is the proliferation of glandular tissue, that is, the original glandular ducts form new branches, grow into the nearby stroma, and form new structural structures (i.e. nodules) after complex re-branching. McNeal proposed the embryonic reawakening theory of prostate hyperplasia based on the basic characteristic of embryonic development, which is the formation of new structures. He believed that the formation of prostate hyperplasia nodules is the result of a prostate stromal cell spontaneously transforming into an embryonic development state during the growth process.

Among them, alkaline fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been shown to promote the mitosis of almost all cells in human prostate homogenate, and its role in the pathogenesis of prostate hyperplasia is receiving increasing attention.

4. Lifestyle: Obesity is positively correlated with prostate volume, that is, the more fat, the larger the prostate volume. Although the conclusions are not consistent, some existing studies have shown that nutrients can affect the risk of BPH and LUTS. Increased intake of total energy and total protein, as well as increased intake of fat, milk and dairy products, red meat, grains, poultry, and starch can potentially increase the risk of prostate hyperplasia and prostate surgery; while vegetables, fruits, polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and vitamin D have the potential to reduce the risk of prostate hyperplasia.