Prostatic hyperplasia, the most common benign tumor in men over 50 years.

Primary Care Physicians already have a guidance document knowing how to diagnose and treat diseases of the prostate

The family doctor should be the first step for patients when confronting a possible prostate disease.

The cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in primary care consultations are equal to those of hypertension in men over 50 years.

Clinical Document SEMERGEN is a tool for professional advice.



The urological pathologies related to the prostate are becoming more frequent reason for consulting primary care physician, so the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) has developed a clinical document (SEMERGEN Doc) aimed at family physicians in order to increase their training in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of prostate diseases.

At the high prevalence of these diseases, says Dr. Francisco Brenes, coordinator of the SEMERGEN Urology, family physicians must know the most useful keys for the diagnosis and more appropriate use of therapeutic alternatives . Among these conditions, underlines the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which is the most common benign tumor in men over 50 years and the second leading cause of surgery. Dr. Brenes to this data, which reflects the SEMERGEN Doc, adds that it is not known, for example, that BPH has an equal prevalence of hypertension in men over 50 years.

In developing the Doc SEMERGEN taken into account the national and international guidelines most important. In this document, sponsored by Astellas Pharma laboratory, the group has participated Urological Society, composed of primary care physicians (AP) involved and trained in urology and a urological medical specialist who has focused specifically on part of surgical treatment of BPH.

Incidence of prostate diseases
Prostate pathologies that are commonly seen in the doctor's AP vary depending on the patient's age. Dr. Francisco Brenes concrete between 30 and 40 years dominated inflammatory problems, infection such as prostatitis. After 50 years appears to BPH, and when the patient is over 60 years, symptoms may be associated with prostate cancer.

According to the doctor, family physician at the health center in Badalona Llefià, when a patient arrives at the office says he has, and in his opinion should be able to interpret the symptoms and identify the problems of this type , affecting much of the population.

Currently, in Spain, BPH is the leading cause of urology. While the symptoms of prostatitis (infection or inflammation) of the prostate giving rise to 1% of all visits to family doctor and 8% of those made to the urologist. With regard to prostate cancer, one in six men will develop this disease during their lives, 9 out of 10 cases occur in over 65 years and 70% of patients with this tumor is at risk of developing metastasis.

Dr. Brenes argues that the family doctor should be the first step for patients when confronting a possible illness, so you should be able to provide solutions to some of these pathologies. He notes that almost obligatorily, the BPH is one of them, like the protastitis that failure is acute and very complicated, can be evaluated by your primary physician.

Trailing in Europe
Dr. Francisco Brenes concludes that these documents will increase the level of knowledge of family physicians in the field of Urology, which is currently at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in Europe. For Brenes, for example, the Spanish GP made very little on rectal examination. In other countries like England or Denmark, 70% of family physicians, a patient with urinary tract symptoms made him a touch. In Spain only 20%.