2023-11-25 09:14:00
Movember, men’s health prevention month. Villa Margherita opens its doors to the over 40s
Men’s health prevention is an essential practice for men of any age. Because, at different stages of life their health can be subject to different pathologies. However, there is a lot of confusion about it, which leads men to neglect themselves. To clarify and dispel any doubts, Dr. intervened. Ivano Vavassori, Professor at the University of Brescia, Director of the Surgical Department and the Urology Department of the ASST Bergamo Ovest; active in Rome at Clinica Villa Margherita, which indicated, clearly and exhaustively, guidelines for the prevention of men’s health”.
“In young people, between 18 and 30 years old, prevention is essential to protect against testicular cancer and preserve fertility. While,in the adult male populationor particularly exposed, Prevention is essential to preserve the well-being of the prostate, in terms of tumor and hypertrophy.”
“As regards prevention at a young age, we must start from an anthropological fact: in the past, compulsory military service constituted a mass screening, whereby all men between 18 and 20 years old underwent a general medical examination which allowed them to take action promptly in case of testicular anomalies, such as varicocele or tumor, a typical pathology in men between 20 and 30 years of age. Today, young people are left to their own devices, which is why initiatives like Movember are fundamental to spread the importance of prevention, to be carried out primarily through a correct informationlearning to know your reproductive system; then, through self palpation, practice to be practiced regularly to detect the formation of any nodules or anomalies, possible symptoms of a tumor or other pathologies in the bud; finally, through a specialist. Unfortunately, the lack of this awareness means that children affected by cancer, out of shame or unconsciousness, often arrive at the doctor in already advanced stages of the disease, when intervening is more difficult.”
“As far as fertility is concerned, correct information is always the first prevention tool: knowing how much lifestyle affects fertility is the first step in protecting it. While, a specialist visit protects young people from the risks deriving from sexually transmitted infections which, even if silent, i.e. without symptoms, can cause infertility. Speaking of habits it is important to remember that smoking, alcohol and drugs can compromise the state of the spermatozoa, in terms of quantity and quality. In general, lifestyle has worsened so much in the last thirty years, also due to factors attributable to stress and pollution, that today there is a decline in the parameters relating to male fertility, namely: fertilization capacity of the spermatozoa has significantly decreasedOn average, the seminal fluid has a smaller number of spermatozoa, of lower quality in terms of morphology and motility. To further aggravate the situation and contribute to the collapse in birth rates, a another social factor: the procrastination of fatherhood. Today we tend to look for our first child at an advanced age, without considering that, as the years go by, performance (quantity and quality of sperm) declines.”
“In adult menaged 40 and over, prevention concerns the prostate and cancer which, if caught in time, is curable in most cases; both for hypertrophy. In both cases one is essential urological visit to be associated with specific blood tests and to be repeated with a cadence that varies based on individual specificities, primarily familiarity. By the way, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted how PSA screening, prostate specific antigen, if addressed, or recommended to selected subjects, is a fundamental parameter for an early diagnosis of prostate cancer.”
“With regard to prostatic hypertrophythe guidelines unanimously suggest Holmium laser treatment. Benign prostatic hypertrophy represents an extremely widespread problem that affects the male population from the age of 45. This organ can swell due to various factors including: familiarity, hormonal changes and lifestyle. The prostate is a lipid gland that is affected by the level of cholesterol in the body, increasing the risk of enlargement which, in the terminal stages, can completely block the urine channel. In recent years, surgery for prostatic hypertrophy has seen the laser as the protagonist, because traditional techniques, namely: open-air and laparoscopic operations, cause copious bleeding and present strong limitations: they are impracticable on patients at risk of bleeding and with excessive enlargement of the prostate. In reverse, the laser, involving the simultaneous removal of the enlargement and healing of the wound, avoids hemorrhage and does not impose any limitations on the intervention. The first operations of this type, which I personally witnessed, were carried out in the United States in 1998; the following year I was the first to bring the “holmium laser prostate enucleation” technique to Italyand second in Europe. Thanks to this intervention method, recommended by the EAU guidelines, Europeanassociation of Urology e of the AUA, American UrologicalAssociation, today patients who were previously forced to live with the catheter all their lives, such as fragile ones, can be treated; obese, with a prostate greater than 100 grams and with a risk of non-clotting. Yet, although it is strongly recommended, holmium laser surgery is not yet widely practiced, since it involves a long learning process that many doctors, experienced in laparoscopic surgery, do not intend to undertake. However, today, faced with an audience of increasingly better prepared patients and an increase in the rate of obesity and, therefore, prostates exceeding 100 grams, Holmium laser surgery represents a truly essential methodology for the definitive resolution of prostatic hypertrophy and, finally, it is progressively spreading.
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