Complications of Enlarged Prostate

Overview

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), Opens dialog rarely has complications. When it does, they are often due to severe obstruction of the urine flow. These complications include:

• Complete blockage of the urethra, Opens dialog (acute urinary retention, or AUR). This results in a complete inability to urinate. It can cause kidney damage, which may be reversed if the problem is diagnosed and treated before the damage becomes too severe.
• Long-term, partial blockage of urine flow from the bladder (chronic urinary retention, or CUR). This causes urine to remain in the bladder after urination (post-void residual urine).
• A urinary tract infection (UTI), Opens dialog. But repeated urinary tract infections can also be caused by long-term inflammation or infection in the prostate (chronic prostatitis).

Other complications of BPH may include bladder stones, Opens dialog or bladder infections, Opens dialog and visible blood in the urine (gross hematuria).