Prostate-related conditions are the most common reasons for a visit with the urologist
Male between 40 and 80 years of age. This is the predominant profile of patients visiting the Urology unit, according to the Head of the Unit of this speciality at the Quirónsalud Marbella Hospital, Doctor Pablo Navarro Vílchez. The Head of this Unit explains that the primary reason for men to visit their doctors is related to conditions affecting the prostate. "Patients usually call for an appointment with their doctor for one of the conditions related to the prostate, such as prostate benign hyperplasia (benign growth), prostate cancer (malign growth) or prostatitis, which is a very common type of infection", explains Navarro Vílchez.
With regards to the first of them, the expert states that the prostatic gland experiences a growth in men from 40 years old onwards. "The tissue becomes thicker in the area surrounding the urethra and this can cause discomfort. In the majority of the cases there is discomfort when urinating. This condition can cause more frequent urination, feeling the need to get up at night to urinate or feeling an urgent need to urinate, experiencing weak urine stream, urinary retention or even incontinence, although the last symptom is not very common", he states.
The urologist at the Quirónsalud Marbella hospital highlights that it is very common to mistake the symptoms deriving from the benign growth of the prostate with prostate cancer because "the clinical symptoms for both conditions are very similar. It is very important to be aware of the fact that there is a high percentage of prostate cancers that do not show and can only be detected during a check-up". On this account and because of the high prevalence of this condition, doctor Navarro Vílchez highlights the need to get an appointment for a preventative consultation with the specialist. Prostate cancer is the most frequent type of tumour in males, and it is the third cause of cancer mortality after lung and digestive track cancer.
The Head of the Urology Unit at the Quirónsalud Marbella hospital explains that the check-up is very easy and it needs to be individualised, requiring the urologist’s careful attention to the symptoms being described by the patient. The collection of the information provided by the patient himself is then complemented with various medical tests, such as a physical examination of the kidneys, abdomen, bladder, testicles and specially, the prostate. Lastly, the specialist states that "every male over 45 years of age should get an appointment with his urologist once a year. In the event that a patient has a family history of prostate cancer and in the case of patients with vasectomies, the appointment should be scheduled earlier, at 40".
