Urinary disorders in men: what are the causes?

In France, two million men suffer from urinary disorders. Those symptoms appear more frequently in men over 50, in particular due to an increase in volume of the prostatepathology whoseimpact increases with age.

The prostate: a gland often involved in urinary disorders in men

Located under the bladder, it surrounds the canal of the urethra which allows the evacuation of urine to the outside. This anatomical situation explains the urinary disorders linked to prostate pathologies.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia: main cause of urinary disorders in men

Non-cancerous pathology, thehyperplasia benign prostate (BPH), also called adenoma prostate, is common in men over 50. The age and the androgens (hormone) induce proliferation of prostate cells. This results in an increase in the volume of the prostate which can cause various disorders: difficulty in urinating by phenomenon of compression of the urethra, urge to urinate by modification of muscular excitability (increase in receptors) and even retention of urine by decreasing the contractibility of the bladder. However, there is no direct relationship between the volume of the prostate and the intensity of the urinary disorders experienced by the patient.

Prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Prostatitis is a term grouping various problems of the prostate manifested by urinary disorders. It can be caused by a bacterial infection (in less than 10% of cases) and therefore processed by antibiotics. Usually it is a inflammation probable prostate cancer, which can become chronic and the causes of which are still poorly understood.

Prostate cancer

Representing today 25% of cancer males, urinary disorders appear only if the latter is at an advanced stage.

Are there other causes of urinary problems in men?

Prostate dysfunction is not the only reason for male urinary disorders. L’urinary tract infectionan uncommon pathology in humans, can cause burning on urination and difficulty urinating.

L’anatomy of the’urogenital apparatus male has its own defenses against infections: length of the urethra, drought relative to the middle, possible antibacterial activity of prostatic secretions. But, if it is less common in men than in women, the urinary tract infection can be more serious.

It can develop in four places in the urinary tract:

• the urethra (urethritis);
• the bladder (cystitis rare in humans);
• the prostate (prostatitis);
• the kidneys (pyelonephritis).

In mature men, it is localized on the prostate which, by increasing in volume, hinders the flow of urine, thus allowing the development ofEscherichia coli. This bacterium generates infectious prostatitis that can cause fever.

In young men, burning during urination is generally due to a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The urethra is colonized by a gonococcus or a chlamydiaafter a report contaminating the germs develop causing urethritis.

In both cases, antibiotic treatment, by suppressing the bacteria, will reduce urination disorders.

Some neuropathies can be accompanied by urinary disorders. Indeed, a blood sugar excessive in the long term as part of a diabetes untreated, can damage the nerves of the bladder. The signals are misinterpreted with the consequence of setting up a incontinence by overflow or by disordered contractions of the bladder muscle.