Men’s health: five reasons why you should see a urologist

Routine medical consultations allow comprehensive health monitoring, reducing the risk of disease and allowing for the early identification of problems such as cancer, hypertension and high cholesterol.

This month, the campaign Blue november promotes awareness of men’s health and encourages preventive medical care.

Medical follow-up helps to avoid complications such as urinary retention, which is the inability to urinate, bladder stones, urinary infection and kidney failure.

According to experts, five signs indicate the need to seek specialized care .

1. Pain: Low back pain can be a sign of kidney problems and testicles can be signs of inflammation or tumor
2. Evidence of problems with the male reproductive system: impotence, premature ejaculation, discomfort during intercourse, blood in the sperm or lack of orgasm
3. Sexually Transmitted Infections: Symptoms such as itching, redness, pain, blisters, sores, burning when urinating, discharge, and penile warts can be signs of STIs
4. Urinary tract symptoms: discomfort when urinating, dribbling, presence of blood in the urine, increase or decrease in urinary frequency
5. Advancing age: men over 50 years of age should undergo a prostate exam and PSA (prostate specific antigen).

Men are reluctant to go to the doctor

The urologist doctor assists men and women, but for men’s health their role becomes essential. From regular consultations, it is possible to timely prevent and treat diseases of the reproductive system and urinary tract, such as cancers of the kidney, penis and prostate, urinary and sexually transmitted infections, phimosis, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Unlike health problems such as kidney stones, for example, which cause a lot of pain, other diseases can develop silently over the years, without any symptoms, making early diagnosis more difficult.

“In our culture, girls are advised to consult a gynecologist from a very young age, but with boys this is not the case. From birth, childhood and especially adolescence, these consultations should be part of a health routine. Hormonal changes, growth and genital development, as well as other urological problems could and should be resolved in this age group and the lack of adequate detection and treatment can negatively impact their adult life”, says the head of the Urology Service at the Federal Hospital. da Lagoa, in Rio de Janeiro, José Anacleto.

A recent survey carried out by the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU) with data from the Outpatient Information System of the Ministry of Health pointed out that women take more care of their health than men.

The numbers indicate that, in 2022, there were more than 1.2 million female consultations by gynecologists in the Unified Health System (SUS), six times more than the 200,000 consultations for men by the urologist.

“The presence of the urologist in male health care is necessary throughout life, but becomes more important from the age of 40 onwards, due to the incidence of prostate cancer, which increases with age. However, resistance to this care routine is still high, mainly due to the myths surrounding the clinical examination of digital rectal examination, something quick and painless that can save lives and is the first step in the diagnosis of prostate cancer”, says urologist Alexandre Crippa, a doctor at Urobrasil, a company of the H+Brasil Group.

silent disease

O prostate cancer It is a malignant tumor that affects the gland of the male reproductive system, located over the rectum and under the urinary bladder. There are several stages, or staging, and their treatment and evolution will depend on the specific characteristics of the tumor.

“Ingesting more animal fat may increase the risk of prostate cancer, but this is still being researched. In any case, healthy eating habits and physical exercise are always a form of disease prevention”, says Crippa. “In addition to surgery, radiotherapy and conservative treatment, there are other treatment alternatives for localized prostate cancer. The discovery of new medications is increasingly advanced, as are surgical procedures. The most important thing is early diagnosis.”

Visiting the urologist allows the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is an enlarged prostate that is not associated with cancer. With advancing age, it is normal for the prostate to increase in size, but not all individuals will have urinary symptoms. According to the SBU’s Portal of Urology, about 50% of men over 50 will have BPH. By age 90, 80% of patients will be affected by this condition.

“There is an associated genetic factor. In addition, the metabolic syndrome that involves obesity, changes in cholesterol and insulin resistance also favor the development of the condition”, explains urologist Alexandre Crippa.