Report to the People
6th September 2004
Dying of Embarrassment
Many
men of a certain age would say that the delicate subject of prostate trouble is
one which is close to their heart. But
that’s probably because 42% of them don't know where their prostate is.
And,
despite the fact that about one in three men aged over 50 are affected by Benign
Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) – a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate
gland – figures suggest that nearly three-quarters are too embarrassed to
visit their GP and get it seen to.
Not
clever. In severe cases, BPH can
lead to kidney damage. It has also
been linked to depression, anxiety and difficulty in carrying out routine
activities. Finally, when they’re
treating BPH, GPs can also pick up the early signs of prostate cancer – a
disease which kills 10,000 of us a year.
While
the Scottish Executive is awarding £4 million to develop 10 Well Man clinics
across Scotland, the Men's Health Forum is right to encourage us to take greater
responsibility for our own wellbeing.
Our
“ignore it and it’ll go away” approach won’t do. Neither will paranoia about “bothering the doctor” making
you less of a man. If your car
breaks down, you take it to the garage. So
why don’t you go to see the professionals when it’s your body which is
running a bit rough?
For
help in spotting the symptoms of prostate problems, get a copy of the new
prostate health checklist – just freephone 0808
141 0808.
Back to Current Reports to the People
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Directgov ] [ Scottish Parliament ]