Description: U.S. researchers say they've developed a blood test to detect a severe form of enlarged prostate disease (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH).

BPH symptoms include urgent and frequent urination. In men with severe BPH, these symptoms are more pronounced.

The study of 85 men was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. They found that significantly higher levels of a protein made by the JM-27 gene were associated with severe BPH that's more likely to result in bladder-related complications if left untreated.

The Hopkins team also developed a blood test to detect the JM-27 protein in men with symptoms of severe BPH.

If it receives government approval, this test could be used to identify men with severe BPH at an early state, before they suffer damage to the bladder or urinary tract.

"Our experiments show that the expression of this marker is related to the presence of the severe form of BPH and not to the size of the pr