2024-01-08 18:48:22
Advances in medicine have allowed us to improve the detection of some diseases, which is why we tell you more about it. prostate antigen What is it and when is it dangerous?
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What is prostate antigen and what is it for?
The United States National Library of Medicine points out that prostate-specific antigen is a protein produced by the prostate.
Currently there is a blood study that analyzes the presence of this protein in the body to promptly detect some diseases such as:
In fact, a study published by the Mexican Journal of Urology presents prostate-specific antigen analysis as a better alternative than the “dreaded” rectal examination.
Through an analysis of 627 patients, it was concluded that the prostate antigen analysis was 98.3% accurate, compared to the 64.8% effectiveness of the digital rectal examination.
The conclusion was that the digital rectal examination may have more variation due to the experience and training of the doctors, in contrast to the effectiveness of laboratory analyzes, which are increasingly accurate.
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When is a prostate antigen dangerous?
According to the American Cancer Associationthe measurement parameters determine that when there is an index equal to or less than 4ng/mL, the man is at healthy levels of prostate-specific antigen.
However, when levels begin to exceed 4ng/mL and up to 10ng/mL, they are considered to be in a “borderline range”, so they have a 1 to 4 chance of developing prostate cancer.
On the other hand, experts say that when there is a concentration greater than 10ng/mL, the probability of having prostate cancer increases up to 50%.
That is why, when a test is done Prostate Specific Antigen and it comes out high, you should immediately go to the doctor to rule out diseases or conditions that endanger the patient’s life.
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How do I know if I should have a prostate antigen test?
Experts point out that this exam should be part of the annual tests for men starting at age 40 or when symptoms such as:
Frequent and painful urinationHaving blood in your urine or semenPelvic pain and/or back pain If you have a family history of prostate cancer
It is believed that the prostate specific antigen test It can help detect prostate cancer in a timely manner and would also represent a more comfortable option for men, since it is a blood extraction that is not as “invasive” for some as a rectal examination.
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