Abstract
Although benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common disease processes affecting the aging man, surprisingly little is known about its pathophysiology [1]. Despite intense research efforts in the past four to five decades to find the underlying cause of prostatic growth in older men, cause and effect relationships have not been established. Previously held notions that the clinical symptoms of BPH (prostatism) are simply due to a mass-related increase in urethral resistance are too simplistic. It is now clear that a significant portion of the symptoms are caused by obstruction-induced detrusor dysfunction. Moreover, obstruction may induce a variety of neural alterations in the bladder and prostate that contribute to symptomatology. Undoubtedly, the constellation of cellular pathologies that give rise to the symptoms of BPH will be far more complex than we currently realize. Only by revealing these complexities, however, will we be able to successfully design alternative strategies to treat, and possibly prevent, BPH.
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McConnell, J.D. (2003). The Epidemiology and Pathophysiology of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. In: Bruskewitz, R.C. (eds) Atlas of the Prostate. Current Medicine Group, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6505-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6505-5_1
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