As men age, their prostates grow, often leading to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Although this disease — common in aging societies — can have troubling symptoms, it is not always a cause for distress. A recent article published by Harvard researchers looked at BPH, with discussion ranging from its risk factors and overall medical costs to treatment approaches. The paper, titled “Benign prostatic hyperplasia: epidemiology, economics and evaluation“appeared in October in the Canadian Journal of Urology.
Several risk factors for BPH have been identified, though it is not clear how these factors impact BPH. For example, being Jewish increases BPH risk, the researchers said in their discussion.