Benign prostatic hypertrophy is fairly common in men over age sixty. It happens when tissues of the prostate thicken and cause the flow of urine to slow or stop. This condition also may cause blood in the urine and infections. Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate that can be either acute or chronic, and causes the prostate to become inflamed. Acute prostatitis comes on quickly and is more common in younger men between the ages of twenty and forty-five.
Chronic prostatitis is more common in men between the ages of thirty-five and sixty.
It comes on more slowly, but lasts much longer. These conditions cause such symptoms as fever, discharge from the penis, and pain, as well as problems with urination, erection and ejaculation. Cancer of the prostate is the most serious disease that can cause prostate enlargement. This form of prostate disease is uncommon among men under age forty, but is more common in men over age sixty. As cancer in the prostate grows, the prostate enlarges.