Jan 2012 Prostate cancer is a major cause of ill health for males in mid to later life. If it isn’t discovered in good time it can also be fatal. The home psa test, which allows men to conduct a simple home prostate exam, can give the early warning doctors need in order to spot and contain the condition before it gets out of control.
PSA levels occur naturally in human blood. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a hormone created in and secreted by the prostate, which leaks out into the bloodstream. The PSA home test kit checks for abnormal levels of the hormone – a possible warning that there are problems with the prostate gland. Although the presence of abnormal levels of PSA doesn’t necessarily mean the person in question has cancer, it does conclusively point up some kind of prostate abnormality – which could or could not be cancer. The home psa test, by providing this advance notice of possible inconsistencies in the function of the prostate, allows users to visit a doctor in the very early stages of a prostate problem – if it is cancer, there’s plenty of warning and plenty of time to do something about it before it becomes too advanced.
In general terms, the home prostate test provides evidence (if it returns results indicating high levels of PSA) that the prostate is enlarged. Prostate enlargement can be cause by a number of things – prostatitis, which is an inflammation of the prostate similar in effect to the usually female urinary infection cystitis; natural enlargement of the gland (the prostate increases in size as old age approaches): or prostate cancer. When the home psa test returns increased levels of the antigen, it’s a notification that the prostate has increased in size – a larger prostate kicks out more hormones than a normal sized one.
This enlarged prostate test, then, though by no means conclusive (there are several external factors that can cause a return of increased antigen in the test results), is a simple and effective way to get men aware of possible problems with their prostate. Given that the prostate is one of the most likely locations in the male body to contract the cancer that will, eventually and if untreated, kill, the existence of the home psa test represents a golden opportunity for every man to take control of his health before that window of opportunity has passed. It’s simple to use and easy to buy. The alternative – possibly dying of cancer – is such an awful one it seems ludicrous not to invest a few important pounds in what could be a life saving early warning.
