NHS prostate enlargement page visits up 1,000% after King Charles' diagnosis
Both the King and the Princess of Wales have or will receive hospital treatment, as ITV News' Chris Ship reports on the latest from the royal family
Visits to the NHS website’s prostate enlargement page were up by more than 1000% after it was announced King Charles was suffering from the condition.
The health service's website page on the illness received more than 11 times as many visits on Wednesday, when the royal news was revealed, compared to Tuesday.
There were 16,410 visits to the page on Wednesday – an average of one visit every five seconds compared to 1,414 visits on Tuesday, NHS England told ITV News.
While King Charles does not have prostate cancer, news of his diagnosis has also prompted thousands of men to check their symptoms as well.
On Wednesday, Prostate Cancer UK's online risk checker was up by over 97% - increasing from in the same time last week 3,280 to 6,478 in the last 24 hours.
It is understood Charles, 75, was keen to share his diagnosis, in order to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with health advice.
One in every three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate including needing to visit the toilet more frequently, with more urgency and have difficulty emptying their bladder.
Buckingham Palace said Charles’ condition was benign and he would be having a “corrective procedure”.
Symptoms of benign prostate enlargement
If the prostate becomes enlarged, it can place pressure on the bladder and the urethra, which is the tube that urine passes through.
This can affect how you pee and may cause:
difficulty starting to pee
a frequent need to pee
difficulty fully emptying your bladder
The condition, which can affect how you pass urine, is common in men aged over 50 and is not usually a serious threat to health.
Many men worry that having an enlarged prostate means they have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer but according to the NHS this is not the case.
If you are worried or would like more information, visit prostatecanceruk.org
Head of Health Information & Clinical Support at Prostate Cancer UK, Nick Ridgman said: “We wish the King well as he begins his treatment for an enlarged prostate, and we’re thankful that his openness will raise more awareness about the condition.
“An enlarged prostate is very common in men over 50. It isn’t caused by cancer, and it doesn’t increase your risk of getting prostate cancer.
“A man with an enlarged prostate might get symptoms such as difficulty peeing, a weak flow, urinating more often – or even no symptoms at all.
"If you're worried about any of these sorts of symptoms, we suggest you contact your GP who can assess them. "
While the King does not have prostate cancer, the charity has warned men that the early stages of the disease does not have symptoms at all.
People can take the 30-second risk checker on its website or call their specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, or via live webchat.
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