Prostate Test

(Ben Jonson). Submitted on Tue, 31 Jan 2012

If you are a man one of the most important things you can do for your health is to have a regular prostate test. The older you are the more important it is that you do so.



There are several kinds of prostate diseases you can develop as you age. The most serious of this is prostate cancer. It is a very common cancer in older men. Every year, in the UK, over 32,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Provided it is caught early prostate cancer is highly treatable. A new home PSA has been made available, which can make spotting prostate diseases before they become life threatening relatively easy.

How a Prostate Test Works

There are 3 kinds of prostate test. The old fashioned test involves a doctor inserting their finger into the patient's anus and feeling whether the prostate is enlarged. This is called a DRE or Digital Rectal Exam. A modern take on this test involves an examination using a colon scope, which allows the doctor to actually see the prostate. However, this kind of examination is usually carried out during a colonoscopy, which is used to detect colon cancer.

By far the easiest test is the most modern one, which is the PSA test. This test can be done simply by taking a sample of a patient's blood and testing for a protein that is known as the prostrate-specific protein. When the prostate is in distress, i.e. suffering from disease it produces higher levels of this protein, so it is an easy way to see early on whether you are suffering from a prostate disease like cancer. You can now buy a kit and quickly test yourself at home.

What to Do About the Results of Your Prostrate Test

If the results of your prostrate test show that you have high levels of PSA you should go straight to your GP. However, if you have problems urinating, maintaining an erection or see blood in your urine or sperm, even if your PSA levels read as low or normal, you should still see a doctor.

 

About the Author

Prevucare sells a simple prostate testthat works by measuring the level of PSA in your blood.

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