The genitourinary system of man is the most important complex of organs responsible for isolating from the organism harmful products of its vital activity and reproductive function. In fact, these are two systems, closely intertwined. Therefore, problems with one constantly cause a violation of the activities of another.
Sexual differences
Everyone knows that the anatomy of a man is different from that of a woman. Especially it concerns the genitourinary system. In his body there are specific organs and glands that are responsible for erection and viability of spermatozoa.
Sex cells, spermatozoa, are formed in the testes. But by themselves they would die pretty quickly. Therefore, the body produces a special nutrient fluid. The prostate gland is responsible for it. What is it, know not all. Therefore, over time, men can have problems that could be avoided by following preventive measures.
Purely masculine
In general, the genitourinary system of a man consists of genitals and the same excretory system as in women: the kidneys, the bladder and the urethra( urethra).Around the man's urethra, practically at its beginning, is the prostate.
It is a gland of external and internal secretion that produces both androgynous hormones, and the secret of which the sperm consists. In boys, this gland is undeveloped. Basically it consists of smooth muscles.
During puberty, the prostate increases. Due to the glandular tissue, the prostate gland recruits the dimensions, the norm of which is approximately from the horse chestnut in diameter. After the puberty period, its intensive growth stops. At the same time, throughout the life of the male prostate continues to grow slowly.
The role of the prostate
Like any other organ, performs prostatic function, without which the normal life of the body would be impossible.
First, the nutritional function. It develops a special nutritional secret, which creates a favorable environment for the vital activity of spermatozoa. Thanks to this, they remain capable of fertilization for several days.
Second, the regulatory. Anatomy of a man a lot depends on the normal hormonal background. The prostate gland participates in the creation of this background, producing specific male hormones.
Third, the barrier function. At the time of ejaculation, a simultaneous ejection of spermatozoa from the testes and the sperm from the prostate itself occurs. To avoid urine entering the ejaculate, the prostate blocks the sphincter of the bladder.
Fourth, the prostate gland is responsible for a normal erection. Hormones, produced by it, serve as a signal for the onset of an erection. Therefore, one of the consequences of the disruption of the operation of this gland is most often erectile dysfunction.
The main symptoms of the disease
With age, there are often cases when the prostate gland does not work correctly. What is it, men learn right away. They notice discomfort and pain when urinating, violation of sexual functions and many other troubles that are not accepted to speak out loud.
Diseases of this organ are often found in men with age. It is believed that how many a person is of age, this and the percentage probability of getting prostatitis or another illness associated with prostate dysfunction.
Fortunately, not so large a list of violations to which the prostate gland is exposed. Symptoms of the disease are noticeable almost immediately:
- decrease in the pressure of the urine stream;
- and pain when urinating;
- pain in the lower abdomen;
- change in color of urine;
- frequent urge to the toilet, especially at night.
If a man notices even a few of them, you should immediately contact a urologist. Delay for a couple of days can complicate the process of treatment, and sometimes cause death.
Prostate adenoma
Any diffuse changes in the prostate gland entail the development of diseases. One of the most common is prostate adenoma. This is an abnormal growth of muscle tissue in the gland, which entails partial or complete compression of the urethra.
In addition to urination delays, such a disorder causes a number of complications in the urinary system of a man. Stagnation of urine promotes the development of bacteria, the precipitation of urea into the sediment, followed by the formation of sand and stones in the bladder or kidneys. Further complications of the course of the disease can cause acute renal failure.
Unfortunately, according to statistics, with age, there is a strong increase in diameter, to which the prostate gland is susceptible. Dimensions, the norm of which is several times smaller, becomes a problem after 40-45 years. Every year the risk of finding prostate adenoma increases. Therefore, do not neglect regular visits to the urologist. This guarantees an easier treatment.
Prostatitis
The prostate gland is also affected by inflammatory processes. What is it, men learn, when each trip to the toilet causes them strong rezi and unbearable pain. In addition, there is a constant acute pain in the area of the bladder. It is also possible to change the color of urine, in which impurities of pus or blood appear.
Treatment of the prostate gland should begin immediately. Otherwise, it threatens with severe complications and a long process of recovery and rehabilitation. Running prostatitis is the cause of impotence and infertility, which can not be cured.
Cancer diseases
In the list of complex in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is a tumor of the prostate. It is easily confused with a benign growth called adenoma. But the consequences of this disease are much more dangerous.
Symptoms of prostate cancer are the same as those of other diseases. Diagnosed at an early stage, it can be cured even without surgery. In later stages, the tumor is able to give metastases to adjacent organs, which practically does not lend itself to treatment and leads to the death of a person.
Mechanisms for the formation and development of prostate cancer have not yet been fully explored. There is an opinion that the adenoma is prone to degeneration into a malignant tumor. In any case, in the risk group is more than 50% of men after the age of 45 years.
Non-Invasive Methods for Treatment of the Prostate
Any surgical intervention in the body besides the benefits entails a number of complications. Therefore, treatment of the prostate gland begins with non-invasive methods.
To begin with, simple observation of the condition of a man is used without any therapeutic methods. There are a number of people who develop the adenoma by themselves.
If there is a tendency to complicate the condition, the urologist decides to start therapy with medicines. First of all, alpha-blockers are used. They are able to stop abnormal growth of the gland. In most cases this is enough.
With prostatitis, it makes sense to use antibiotics. The problem of treatment is that the gland itself is located deep in the body. Therefore, medical substances fall into it not immediately and in small quantities. In some cases of acute disease, doctors prescribe the use of drugs through the urethra.
Surgical treatment methods
Almost half of prostate cancer cases require surgical intervention. With adenoma, transurethral resection of the prostate is used. This operation is performed with minimal tissue damage. During it, the part of the prostate gland that blocks the urethra is cut out. In this case, the functions of the prostate are practically not violated, and the man can continue to lead a normal sexual life.
Complete removal of the gland is indicated by the detection of cancer cells in it. Since this disease is "masked" for a benign tumor, doctors can not fully assess the degree of organ damage. Unfortunately, after such an operation, most men experience impotence and infertility.
There is another way of surgical intervention: dissection of the body of the prostate. It is used in cases where the gland has not yet grown to critical size and has not started to put pressure on the bladder, causing stagnation of urine. The essence of the operation is that the dissection of the surgeon allows the prostate gland to become more elastic. It, in turn, does not block the urethra and does not interfere with the process of emptying the urea.
Group of risk of diseases of the prostate
It so happened that the genitourinary system of men rather sensitively reacts to changes in lifestyle. Bad habits and poor nutrition immediately make themselves felt. This is particularly noticeable in terms of changes in the functioning of the prostate gland.
First of all, diseases of this organ can be diagnosed in 4 out of 10 men after 40 years. This is due to the age-related changes in the hormonal background. If before that a person led an unhealthy lifestyle, his chances increase many times. But at the age of 80 years, prostate adenoma is observed in 99% of men.
Because of a sedentary lifestyle in the pelvic organs, blood and lymph stagnation occurs. This contributes to the development of pathogenic bacteria and the deposition of harmful substances on the walls of the vessels. The prostate is prone to this most because it is in its very center and is supplied with blood that has passed through other organs.
In the risk group are those men whose paternal line was diagnosed with cancer. It does not necessarily have to be a malignant tumor of the prostate. A low level of resistance to cancer is inherited. A prostate is one of the most vulnerable organs of a man.
Prevention of "male" diseases
To reduce the future risk of any diseases associated with the prostate, you should devote a lot of time to prevention. First, you need to switch to a healthy diet. More protein and vegetable food promotes proper metabolism. In this case, fatty, fried foods and "food rubbish" weaken the entire body.
Sport activities prevent stagnant processes in the pelvic area. Thanks to this, all organs are normally supplied with useful substances, and toxins are removed from them in time.
But there are specific methods of prevention that the prostate gland requires. What is this and what has the effect, men understand the first time. If you can not follow the whole body, you can regularly hold a prostate massage. Each man will cope with it independently. Enough through the rectum to grope for the gland and by simple manipulation to relax it and stimulate the flow of blood. For convenience, you can use special vibrating massagers.
Correct and timely prevention will save the health of a man to a very old age.