King Charles III’s decision to share his prostate condition has led to 1000% increase in searches for the symptoms on the National Health Services (NHS) website.
In the 24 hours after after the announcement that The King would receive hospital treatment for an enlarged prostate, the NHS website had 16, 410 visits or one every five seconds. Benign prostate enlargement is a common condition in men over the age of 50. When Buckingham Palace issued a statement on King Charles’ upcoming prostate procedure, it was done in part to set an example for men to seek treatment if they are experiencing symptoms.
King Charles, 75, will go to hospital for a corrective procedure in the coming days. His scheduled will be cleared for a short recuperation time. Soon after the news was announced, Queen Camilla was in Scotland to open a “safe space” for those suffering from domestic violence. She was asked about King Charles’s health and replied: “He’s fine thank you. Looking forward to getting back to work.”
Benign prostate enlargement is usually not a serious health threat and does not increase risk of developing prostate cancer.
The prostate is a gland that sits below the bladder. When enlarged, men can experience the following symptoms (NHS website):
- finding it difficult to start peeing
- straining to pee
- having a weak flow of urine
- “stop-start” peeing
- needing to pee urgently and/or frequently
- needing to get up frequently in the night to pee
- accidentally leaking urine (urinary incontinence)
Treatments range from lifestyle changes, medicine or surgery.
