The most unusual belief about urine comes from Germany, according to Philippa Waring in "The Dictionary of Omens & Superstitions." People there believed that if a girl urinates in a man's shoe, he will fall madly in love with her!

For many men, however, the simple act of urinating can be a difficult experience. Not only do they urinate frequently to the point that they can't sleep well at night but starting the whole process of urinating is difficult.

If you have these symptoms, you're probably a victim of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition that generally affects old men.

BPH is simply the enlargement of the prostate gland, a doughnut-shaped male organ that contributes fluid to the semen.

How common is BPH? Dr. Glen R. Cunningham, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, said the condition affects 50 percent of men over 50 and more than 50 percent of men aged 80 and above.

He added that it can begin as early as 30. Between the ages of 50 and 60, the US National Institute of Health reports that four out of five men have BPH.

In addition to the above symptoms, BPH can interfere with a person's daily activities. A study published in The British Journal of General Practice made by Dr. W. M. Garraway and his colleagues of the Department of Public Health Service, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, showed that the effects of BPH can greatly influence a person's lifestyle.

The study covered 1,627 men aged 40 to 79 years - 410 of whom had BPH. Their lifestyles were evaluated using questionnaires prepared by the researchers.

"The men were asked to rate how bothersome they found the urinary symptoms on a scale of zero (not bothersome at all) to six (extremely bothersome). The men were asked whether they had consulted their general practitioner during the previous year about bothersome symptoms, whether urinary dysfunction had interfered with activities of daily living, and about any perceived changes in urinary symptoms over the past year and how this related to selected activities of daily living," the researchers said.

The results of the questionnaire showed that 50 percent of men with BPH reported at least one bothersome symptom that interfered with a number of daily activities. These include limiting one's travel to places with toilets, not getting enough sleep at night, and the inability to drive for two hours.

Untreated, the enlarged prostate gland eventually makes urinating impossible. This is an emergency symptom that requires immediate attention.

"An enlarged, non-cancerous prostate gland is not serious unless its growth progresses to the extent that urination is extremely difficult or impossible, the bladder becomes infected (cystitis), or the kidneys are damaged as a result of the backed-up urine," according to Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book." (Next: Treating an enlarged prostate.)

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