What complications arise from an enlarged prostate?

If left untreated, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) may lead to a number of complications. These include infections in the urine, bladder stones, complete inability to pass urine and kidney failure.

Complete inability to pass urine is called urinary retention. Acute urinary retention occurs suddenly and causes worsening pain as the bladder fills. Chronic urinary retention occurs if a man carries around a large volume of urine in his bladder without experiencing pain. This usually develops silently over time. These men often leak urine at night without realising it, a phenomenon called overflow incontinence.

Bladder symptoms from urinary obstruction can also occur due to strictures of the urethra, blood clots or stones. Conditions that affect the nerves leading to bladder, such as spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis, can also cause urinary retention.