Urological diseases are problems that trouble many men. The privacy of the affected areas, embarrassing symptoms, incorrect publicity, and irregular diagnosis and treatment often lead patients to take many detours when seeing a urologist. Prostate diseases are one of the main male diseases, with a high incidence rate - more than 50% of men have been troubled by prostate diseases at some point in their lives. Below are a few misconceptions introduced.
Misconception One: Afraid to get married after being diagnosed with prostatitis
Prostatitis is more commonly seen in young and middle-aged men, with an incidence rate of about 30% among men aged 20-50. Poor living habits and lack of timely and correct treatment have led to various views on prostatitis in society. Incorrect publicity claims that prostatitis leads to impotence, infertility, and prostate cancer in a "three-step process," scaring some patients so much that they dare not get married.
Expert advice: In fact, prostatitis is not scary, and a significant proportion of people have mild symptoms.
Prostatitis is like a common cold, it is difficult to treat because the symptoms sometimes cannot be eliminated immediately, but it is not incurable. This disease does not have a particularly significant impact on the body, will not endanger life, and will not turn into prostate cancer.
It should be especially noted that currently, many non-standard hospitals carry out various physical therapies such as urethral or local microwave and infrared treatments. These treatment methods and instruments are not yet mature, their efficacy is uncertain, they are expensive, and may even lead to more serious new diseases.
Misconception Two: Diagnosed with "enlargement" in your 20s
Prostatic hyperplasia is what the layman refers to as an enlarged prostate. It's common to encounter patients in their 20s visiting clinics saying that they were diagnosed with an enlarged prostate elsewhere.
Expert advice: The prostate grows with age and requires a long time to accumulate. Young people absolutely do not experience prostatic hyperplasia. Men generally start to develop an enlarged prostate after the age of 40-50. Histological studies have found that the probability of a 50-year-old man having an enlarged prostate is 50%, 60 years old is 60%, 70 years old is 70%, and for those over 80, the probability almost reaches 100%.
Misconception Three: Not getting checked if there are no symptoms
The incidence rate of prostate cancer in China is much lower than in Western countries, but the incidence and mortality rates have been increasing in recent years. Compared to other cancers, prostate cancer develops relatively slowly, but early symptoms are not obvious, leading to difficulties in timely detection and inability to perform radical surgery. (Don't ignore small illnesses)
Expert advice: Due to the lack of specific manifestations in most patients, elderly people need to check their prostate health status annually at specialized hospitals, including digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and ultrasound examinations.
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Treatment of prostate diseases (Part II)
Diseases modern men must be vigilant about -- Must-read Edition
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