Table of Contents
Causes
The causes of benign prostatic hyperplasia are not fully understood. Several theories have been proposed to explain benign cell growth in older men.
Hormonal Changes
Male Hormones. Androgens (male hormones) most likely play a role in prostate growth. The most important androgen is testosterone, which is produced in the testes throughout a man's lifetime. The prostate converts testosterone to a more powerful androgen, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT stimulates cell growth in the tissue that lines the prostate gland (the glandular epithelium) and is the major cause of the rapid prostate enlargement that occurs between puberty and young adulthood. DHT is a prime suspect in prostate enlargement in later adulthood.
Female Hormones. The female hormone estrogen may also play a role in BPH. (Some estrogen is always present in men.) As men age, testosterone levels drop, and the proportion of estrogen increases, possibly triggering prostate growth.
Late Activation of Cell Growth
Another theory focuses on cells in a certain section of the gland that may become active late in life, signaling other prostate cells to replicate or causing them to become sensitive to growth-stimulating hormones.
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Review Date: 07/20/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
