Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Age- and androgen-driven hyperplasia of the prostate's periurethral transitional zone that mechanically narrows the urethra, producing a predictable split between voiding and storage symptoms as the bladder first compensates and then fails.
First principles
BPH arises in the zone that surrounds the urethra, which is why it obstructs flow
The prostate has distinct anatomical zones, and benign prostatic hyperplasia arises specifically in the transitional zone, which encircles the urethra as it passes through the gland, in contrast to prostate cancer, which arises predominantly in the peripheral zone. Because the hyperplastic tissue grows around the urethra rather than away from it, even a modest increase in prostate volume can mechanically narrow the urethral lumen, and the symptoms that follow are a direct consequence of that anatomical location rather than of gland size alone.
Educational content pending clinical review. Not medical advice.