The cause of lower urinary tract obstruction may be either mechanical or nonmechanical.
Among the mechanical obstructions, the most common for older adults is benign prostatic hyperplasia. This is the most common form of mechanical obstruction in the elderly. The prostate enlargement can cause the urethra to become narrowed by pressure, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty urinating and, in severe cases, acute urinary retention, or inability to urinate.
In the case of prostate enlargement, oral medication can be used to improve urination in mild to moderate cases, and surgery is required if there is recurrent urinary retention;
Some of the symptoms of urinary retention are due to prostate cancer, which requires prostate aspiration pathology for diagnosis and endocrine therapy or radical prostate cancer treatment if the diagnosis is clear;
Urethral stones
Urethral stones can also cause obstruction of urinary drainage with pain in the penis and lower abdomen;
Non-mechanical obstruction, mainly neurogenic bladder, is caused by damage to the central nervous system or peripheral nervous system that controls urination, and can be treated with medication or catheterization or suprapubic cystostomy depending on the condition.