What other conditions can cause an abnormal PSA level?
Other diseases that affect the prostate gland can cause an elevated PSA. The most frequent problem is known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement) or hyperplasia (BPH). This condition is due to an increase in the size of the prostate gland that typically occurs with aging. Infection of the prostate gland (prostatitis) is another relatively common affliction that can also cause an abnormal elevation of PSA. Other conditions include poor blood supply to the prostate gland, instrumentation of the urethra (drainage tube from the bladder), urinary retention, and prostate biopsy. What is the free PSA test? Most of the PSA protein released into the blood becomes attached to other blood proteins. The PSA that does not become attached is known as free PSA and can be measured. It has been found that the level of free PSA is decreased in men who have prostate cancer compared to those with benign conditions. The exact level depends upon which test the laboratory uses, but generally less tha
