Wyre Forest MP backs prostate campaign (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Wyre Forest MP backs prostate campaign

12:21pm Wednesday 28th October 2009

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WYRE Forest’s MP is backing a campaign highlighting a prostate problem affecting more than a third of men aged over 50.

Dr Richard Taylor added his support to the cause during a parliamentary reception held by Prostate UK to raise awareness of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

The number of men affected equates to around 34,000 in Worcestershire and 3.2 million men in the UK, most of whom suffer in silence.

The campaign has two key objectives. The first is to encourage men to seek medical advice for unexplained urinary symptoms rather than assuming they are a normal part of ageing.

The second is to ensure that, where appropriate, BPH is managed by GPs in primary care, so it can be treated earlier and minimise costly surgical interventions.

To help facilitate that, Prostate UK is campaigning for BPH to be included on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), which helps GPs implement good practice in their surgeries.

Among symptoms of BPH frequent night-time waking to pass urine, running to the toilet, incontinence and difficulty in urinating.

Effective treatments are available to relieve the symptoms but many men fail to seek medical advice, mistakenly believing urinary symptoms are an inevitable part of the ageing process.

If left untreated, BPH can lead to increased risk of serious and expensive long-term complications, such as acute urinary retention (AUR), kidney and bladder conditions, hospitalisation and surgery.

Amanda McLean, chief executive of Prostate UK, said: “Our mission is to stop prostate disease ruining lives. Awareness of BPH is very low, despite the fact that it’s such a prevalent condition.

“It is currently under-diagnosed and under-treated in the UK and we want to change that.

“The good news is that effective treatments are available. Men need to know that urinary symptoms don’t have to be part and parcel of getting older. They can put their embarrassment to one side and get medical help to improve their day-to-day life.”

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