Learn More: Enlarged Prostate
When BPH Is Not Treated
Few studies have followed men with untreated BPH over several years to observe the course of the disease. But the results of one study give some indication of what to expect. The study followed men with BPH for four years. The results are shown in the table:
| Percentage of Men Who Needed the Following Treatments After Four Years | |||
| No Treatment | Drug Therapy | Surgery | |
| Men with mild symptoms | 63% | 27% | 10% |
| Men with moderate symptoms | 45% | 31% | 24% |
| Men with severe symptoms | 33% | 27% | 39% |
*There was no change in their condition.
The study also found that one out of 12 men with moderate symptoms experienced an improvement to mild symptoms over four years. Moreover, one out of five men with severe symptoms improved to moderate symptoms over the same time period. (When a man has severe symptoms, remission to mild symptoms is rare.)
