MEDIA ALERT
EMBARGOED: 12:01AM AEDT, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024
New research breaking the silence on a serious but treatable
prostate condition affecting 1 in 2 Aussie men aged 50+
A common, non-cancerous prostate
condition affecting more than 2.8 million
Aussie men aged 50+ years,1-3 is seriously
compromising their physical, mental, and
social health and wellbeing, according to
new Australian research set for release next
Tuesday, October 29, 2024.4
An ’enlarged prostate’ affects 50 to 60 per
cent of men aged in their 60s, and a
staggering 80 to 90 per cent of those aged
70+ years.5,6 Yet concerningly, the condition
is currently under-diagnosed, and under-treated, the new research is set to reveal.4
While a healthy prostate resembles the size of a walnut, an enlarged prostate can grow to the size of a mandarin, or even a lemon,7 causing obstruction, bladder blockage, and life-disrupting symptoms – an urgency to pee, poor urine flow, regular toilet visits day and night, and a feeling of being unable to empty the bladder.8-10 This in turn, affects a man’s energy levels, concentration, productivity, and his partner’s sleep.11
Commonly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress,12 should an enlarged prostate be left untreated, it may also lead to urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and kidney damage.9
While Aussie men fail to recognise the commonness, and potential seriousness of this urological condition,9 they do not need to suffer in silence, according to Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) President, and Urological Surgeon, Professor Helen O’Connell AO, Melbourne.
“If you are experiencing enlarged prostate symptoms, seek help from your GP, and get effective treatment, because you may become completely free of the problem.”
To learn more about the new research, and the importance of effective management, and treatment of an enlarged prostate, tee up an interview with a spokesperson below.
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW
EXPERTS
Professor Helen O'Connell, AO
President, Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ); Urological Surgeon, Epworth Health; Research Professor, Monash University; and Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, MELBOURNE
Mr Tony de Sousa
Consultant Urological Surgeon, Epworth Freemasons Hospital, St John of God Berwick Hospital, Mulgrave Private Hospital, and Beleura Private Hospital, Mornington, MELBOURNE
Dr Kapil Sethi
Urological and Robotic Surgeon, MELBOURNE AND SHEPPARTON
Professor Henry Woo
Director of Uro-Oncology; Head of Robotic Surgery, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse; and Urology Department Head, Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospital, SYDNEY
Dr Dinesh Patel
Urology Department Head, Canterbury Hospital; Visiting Medical Officer (VMO), Canterbury, Bankstown and Prince of Wales Hospitals; Consultant Urological and Robotics Surgeon, Hurstville Private, Sydney Southwest Private, and St George Private Hospitals, SYDNEY
Dr Joseph Schoeman
Specialist Urological Surgeon, The Wesley Hospital and St. Andrews War Memorial Hospital, Brisbane; Caboolture Private Hospital, Sunshine Coast; and Mater Private Hospital, Bundaberg, who developed symptoms of an enlarged prostate at 50 years of age, BRISBANE
Dr Borjana Barth
Urological Surgeon and Uro-Oncologist, Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, and Sunshine Coast University Hospital, SUNSHINE COAST
Dr James Aspinall
Specialist Urologist, St Andrew’s Hospital, ADELAIDE
Dr Dan Spernat
Urological Surgeon, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Ashford Hospital and Port Augusta Hospital; Senior Lecturer in Surgery, University of Adelaide; Australian Representative, Fight Like a Man International, ADELAIDE
Dr Elayne Ooi
Principal and Consultant Urologist Surgeon, Swan Urology; Consultant Urologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital; and Visiting Medical Practitioner, Hollywood Private Hospital, PERTH
AUSSIES WHO LIVED WITH / AFFECTED BY AN ENLARGED PROSTATE
Glenn, 64
Former cabinet maker and father-to-two who spent five years feeling concerned about his enlarged prostate
symptoms, SYDNEY
Barry, 65
Online business owner, father, and grandfather who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for 25 years, ORANGE
Dina, 63
Online business owner, father, and grandfather who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for 25 years, ORANGE
Dr Ethan, 60
General Practitioner and Senior University Lecturer who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for
two years, BRISBANE
Ray, 75
Retired Chief Information Officer and computer programmer who experienced enlarged prostate symptoms for more than a year, BRISBANE
Grayham, 65
Small business owner and father who wrestled with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for six years, MELBOURNE
Keith, 61
Professional engineer and father-to-two who lived with symptoms of an enlarged prostate for five years, ADELAIDE
Patrick, 59
Electrical technician and father-to-three who endured enlarged prostate symptoms for almost 10 years, PERTH
Bruce, 72
Former police officer and semi-retired IT Technician who endured symptoms of an enlarged prostate for more than a decade, WHEATBELT, WA
About YouGov market research
Boston Scientific commissioned YouGov to perform an online quantitative survey on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), involving a nationally representative sample of 1,011 Australian men aged 50+ years between July 4 to 10, 2024.4 The data was weighted by age and region to reflect the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population estimates of Australian men over 50 years of age.
Boston Scientific Pty Ltd, PO Box 332 Botany NSW 1455 Australia. Tel +61 2 8063 8100.
References
-
Profile of Australia's population: Australian Government - Australia Institute of Health and Welfare; 2024 [Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/profile-of-australias-population].
-
Population: Australian Bureau of Statistics; 2024 [Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population#:~:text=The%202021%20Census%20counted%2025%2C422%2C788,age%20of%2039%20years%20old].
-
Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Attributed to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: AUA Guideline: American Urological Association; 2023 [Available from: https://www.auanet.org/guidelines-and-quality/guidelines/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-(bph)-guideline].
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Australian market research on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). YouGov: YouGov; 2024.
-
Awedew AF, Han H, Abbasi B, Abbasi-Kangevari M, Ahmed MB, Almidani O, et al. The global, regional, and national burden of benign prostatic hyperplasia in 204 countries and territories from 2000 to 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Healthy Longevity. 2022;3(11):e754-e76.
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Launer BM, McVary KT, Ricke WA, Lloyd GL. The rising worldwide impact of benign prostatic hyperplasia. BJU Int. 2021;127(6):722-8.
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Understanding Prostate Changes and Conditions: National Cancer Institute 2024 [Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/understanding-prostate-changes#:~:text=The%20prostate%20is%20part%20of,the%20size%20of%20a%20lemon].
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Lokeshwar SD, Harper BT, Webb E, Jordan A, Dykes TA, Neal DE, Jr., et al. Epidemiology and treatment modalities for the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Transl Androl Urol. 2019;8(5):529-39.
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Benign prostate hypertrophy: healthdirect; [Available from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/benign-prostate-hypertrophy].
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Lepor H. Pathophysiology of lower urinary tract symptoms in the aging male population. Rev Urol. 2005;7 Suppl 7(Suppl 7):S3-s11.
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Shvartzman P, Borkan JM, Stoliar L, Peleg A, Nakar S, Nir G, et al. Second-hand prostatism: effects of prostatic symptoms on spouses' quality of life, daily routines and family relationships. Fam Pract. 2001;18(6):610-3.
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Park S, Lee KS, Choi M, Lee M. Factors associated with quality of life in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, 2009-2016. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022;101(36):e30091.