DOCTOR G ON SEXUAL HEALTH
Falling on way to bathroom
Posted on Tue, Jun. 17, 2008
BY DR. MARC GITTELMAN
Q:My husband wakes up all the time at night and I am worried about him falling on his way to the bathroom in the dark. How can I get him to go to the doctor's office for help?
A: Fifty percent of 50-year-old men begin to develop symptoms of prostate enlargement -- frequency, urgency and slow stream. The most bothersome symptom is waking at night to void. Whether it's one time or five times, it's a nuisance that can cause sleep deprivation. Now we have uncovered another danger. A new study reveals that there is a significantly increased risk of men falling on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Some of these falls lead to head injuries, broken hips and other fractures.
Researchers followed nearly 6,000 patients and they reported that men with severe symptoms of prostate enlargement have a 33 percent increased risk of falling compared to men without symptoms, and more than 60 percent had an increased risk of falling two or more times a year. Even men with moderate symptoms had an increased risk of falling compared to other men without prostate complaints.
Treatment for prostate enlargement is relatively simple. Tell your husband there is more at stake here than his pride and he should run, not walk, to his physician while he still can.
Dr. Marc Gittelman is a board-certified urologist. E-mail: DoctorMarcGittel
man@yahoo.com
Join the discussion
The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Not a registered user? It's Free!
Register here. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
