Common conditions
BPH is not the only common men's health issue. Here's a brief outline of some other male health problems, with details of where to go for more information.
Testicle problems
Epididymitis
This is inflammation of the epididymis, the tube that transports sperm from the testicle to the penis. Inflammation of the epididymis causes pain and swelling in the testicle and you might also have a high temperature. It can follow on from a viral or bacterial infection.
Your GP may refer you to a specialist to diagnose the problem. It's usually treated with antibiotics, and you might find that a painkiller helps. You'll also need to take it easy for a while45.
Epididymal cysts
These are fluid-filled sacs found inside the testicle. They are most common in middle-aged and older men. You may find one or more lumps and they might be on both sides. They can be treated by draining them or having an operation to remove them, but they only need to be treated if you find them troublesome46.
Hydrocoele
This is a collection of fluid in the testicle47. It causes soft swelling in the testicle but it's not usually painful. It may not need any treatment or it may need to be drained. If it keeps coming back, you might need to have an operation to remove the fluid and examine the testicle.
Testicular cancer
Cancer of the testicles is quite rare, with about 1 in 400 men affected. But it's the most common type of cancer in men aged 20-34. Testicular cancer can also cause pain or a feeling of heaviness in your testicle. But you should remember that other, non-cancerous conditions can cause the same symptoms.
It's really important that you check your testicles for lumps regularly. If you find one, visit your GP immediately.
Varicocoele
This is a collection of enlarged veins in the testicle. It's common, affecting almost one in 10 men at some time. It causes a dull ache, especially at the end of the day or after you've been exercising. You might see and feel the swelling when you stand up - it's often described as "a bag of worms"48.
It doesn't usually need treatment unless symptoms are severe or you are having problems trying to make a baby 49. Treatment is usually with an operation.
Penis problems
Balanitis
This is inflammation of the head of the penis (the glans) and the foreskin. It can be caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. Treatment involves either antibiotics or an antifungal cream, depending on what's caused it 50 . If you think you are suffering from balanitis it is important you speak to your partner and ensure you both seek treatment, as you may have passed it on to her (or she to you).
Phimosis
This is when you have a tight foreskin can't be pulled back from the head of the penis (glans). The foreskin may obstruct the flow of urine out of the penis, and it can lead to infections because you can't wash underneath the foreskin and can make sex painful. The only treatment is circumcision (removal of the foreskin) 51.
Peyronie's disease
This is a condition in which hard lumps form in the shaft of the penis, making it curve during an erection. This can be painful, and make sex difficult. These lumps are not cancerous. It's fairly common, affecting up to one in 25 men over 40 52. It often gets better on its own within 6-15 months53. Your GP can prescribe vitamin E supplements (200mg) for you to take three times a day. Another option is a supplement called potassium amino benzoate. These two options have only limited success and the most effective treatment is surgery54.
Erectile dysfunction (ED)
This means you can't get an erection, you can't keep an erection for long enough to ejaculate, or you can only get a partial erection. It's very common, affecting 52% of men over 40 years of age.
Many problems, both physical and emotional, can cause ED. These include: diabetes; nervous system problems such as multiple sclerosis; smoking, drugs or alcohol; depression, performance anxiety or stress. Depending on the cause, it can usually be treated. Lifestyle changes or counselling might help. There are also medicines available, including sildenafil, tadalfil, vardenafil.
Prostate problems
Prostate cancer
Cancer of the prostate is not common in men under 50. 85% of men are diagnosed over the age of 65. But overall it's a common cancer, affecting one in six men in their lifetime.55
Early prostate cancer generally has no symptoms - the cancer usually starts in the outer part of the prostate so it does not obstruct the urethra at first. As it develops, you can have difficulty and pain urinating. There may also be blood in the urine56.
Treatment depends on your age and whether the cancer is confined to the prostate. If it hasn't spread, it can be treated with surgery to remove the prostate. But this operation has common side-effects, including impotence and incontinence. Another option if the cancer hasn't spread is "active surveillance" – not having any treatment but monitoring the cancer. Other prostate cancer treatments include radiotherapy, brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy), cryotherapy (removal of cells and tissues by freezing), High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and hormone treatment. Prostate cancer can be slow-growing, and often men who have it will die of other causes before the cancer.
You may be able to reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer by leading a healthy lifestyle. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, low in saturated fat and meat and high in fruit and vegetables, especially tomatoes57. There's also some evidence that eating a lot of calcium increases the risk of prostate cancer58. Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk and yoghurt.
Prostatitis
This is an inflammation or infection of the prostate. Symptoms include pain when passing urine, needing to go often and urgently. There may also be blood in your urine or you might feel generally unwell, with a high temperature and aches in your back, lower abdomen, thighs or genitals59. It can usually be treated with a course of antibiotics, which you might need to take for up to four weeks60.
Heart disease
This is also known as coronary heart disease. It's the most common cause of death in the UK61. It occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle to keep it beating become narrowed. This happens because a fatty substance called athermoma builds up.
Symptoms
You'll have no symptoms at first, but as the blood supply to the heart muscle becomes reduced you'll begin to feel chest pain when you are active - this is angina. The pain may be in your left arm, shoulder, neck and jaw as well as your chest. Men describe it as a crushing feeling or tight band around the chest, and often mistake it for indigestion. As the build-up increases, you'll feel pain sometimes even when you're not active – this is called unstable angina.
When an artery becomes completely blocked, the part of the heart supplied by that artery dies - this is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction. The pain is severe and ongoing, and you may also feel sick, breathless and sweaty. Call an ambulance and take a dose of aspirin if you can62 – make sure the ambulance crew know you've taken it.
A heart attack can kill you. If it doesn't, your heart will be damaged and less able to pump blood around the body. This is called heart failure, which can cause breathlessness and tiredness and many other symptoms, depending on which part of the heart was damaged and how bad the damage was63.
Treatment
You can improve angina with lifestyle changes, including stopping smoking, cutting back on alcohol, eating a healthy low-fat diet and taking regular exercise. There are medicines available to reduce high blood pressure or cholesterol, which contribute to heart disease. There are also other medicines that relieve angina episodes, such as GTN (glyceryl trinitrate).
A procedure called angioplasty can help to widen narrowed arteries. If this doesn't work, you can have an operation on your heart where the narrowed arteries are bypassed by attaching healthy artery. This is called a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).
Heart attacks always need to be treated in hospital.
High blood pressure
As the blood flows along your arteries it pushes on the inside of their walls, i.e. it exerts a pressure. This is called your blood pressure. The higher your blood pressure above normal, the greater your risk of getting heart disease.
It's normally given as two numbers, one "over" another, such as "120 over 70". This is written as 120/70. The top number, which is higher, is the pressure in your arteries when your heart is contracting and pushing blood out. The bottom number, which is lower, is the pressure when your heart is filling up with blood ready for the next contraction.
You have high blood pressure if your measurement is consistently above 140/90.
You should know what your blood pressure is. Have it checked at least every five years64, especially if you are over 50 because blood pressure goes up as you get older. High blood pressure doesn't have any symptoms unless it becomes very high, so you probably won't know if you have it.
Treatment
A healthy lifestyle can reduce your blood pressure. In particular, don't smoke, eat a healthy diet that's low in salt, take regular exercise, don't drink more than the recommended amount of alcohol (up to 21 units per week) and limit coffee to five cups a day65.
A number of medicines are available to treat high blood pressure. These work in different ways, for example, by reducing the amount of salt and water in your body or relaxing the walls of the arteries. Medicines include calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, thiazide diuretics (sometimes called water tablets) and beta-blockers.
Diabetes
This is a condition where the body can't regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Normally, the hormone insulin converts sugar (in this case, a type called glucose) into energy. Diabetes happens when the body either becomes resistant to insulin or does not produce enough insulin. This means that glucose builds up in the blood.
Diabetes commonly develops in people over 65. You are more likely to get it if you are obese (with a BMI of 30 or more)66. Click here to calculate your BMI.
Symptoms
Having too much glucose in the blood can make you urinate often, make you feel tired and very thirsty. You may also lose weight even though you are hungry. In the long term, poorly controlled blood sugar can damage small blood vessels leading to problems with your eyes, kidneys and/or nerves. You are also more likely to have heart disease if you have diabetes67.
Treatment
Often simple lifestyle changes will allow you to control your blood sugar. Make sure your diet is balanced and healthy, and includes at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, as well as plenty of starchy carbohydrates. Choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can. Aim to exercise for half an hour on most days of the week.
If diet and exercise don’t work, there are medicines available to help the body to make more insulin or to use insulin more efficiently68.