Health Management Insight: Prostate Problems
The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut. It produces the bulk of the seminal fluid and is found at the base of the bladder, encircling the urethra - the tube through which urine and seminal fluid escape into the outside world.
For unknown reasons, from middle age onwards the prostate starts to enlarge, and its volume increases by an average of about 50 per cent.
A huge number of men experience prostate problems in some form, especially as they reach old age.
Prostate issues are very common in men as they get older, with one-in-three over the age of 50 having some symptoms. That figure rises to nine-in-10 by the age of 85.
Prostate cancer is the most-common form of the disease in men, with around 35,000 new cases each year in the UK.
However, most prostate issues are on the benign end of the spectrum - and even in cases of cancer, it's often possible for patients to watch and wait.
Our Insight article explores some of the most-common prostate problems - along with the measures that employers can take to support men with prostate problems in the workplace.