Urologists, 'serious disorders for 10 million Italians, more prevention'

 One in six Italians is affected by a serious urological problem.

In fact, over 10 million Italians and Italians suffer from a disorder of this type.

Three of the top six most common male cancers in our country concern the urinary tract and two are of particular concern among experts: testicular and bladder cancer.

The issue of sexuality is also to the attention of specialists, in women but above all in men who tend to hide and 'escape' these problems, which have become more acute in these 2 years of pandemic.

It is therefore necessary to make up for lost time but also to acquire a greater awareness of the importance of the figure of the urologist to prevent and treat very serious pathologies.

    On this occasion, Siu and the Siu Foundation are supported by 11 patient associations covering the entire spectrum of diseases related to urological, intimate and sexual well-being.

Furthermore, all citizens will have a toll-free number always active (800.189441), even if in this first phase it will be dedicated exclusively to refugees from Ukraine who are staying in Italy.

The second national day of Urology promoted by Siu was presented today at the Ministry of Health in the presence of Minister Roberto Speranza.

The Ministry of Health, explained Speranza, "is close to Siu and supports this second national day and the campaign to raise awareness and promote the prevention of urological diseases.

These initiatives are always very important for the population and fundamental to avoid the development of problems which, if identified late, can force patients to face more complex and painful treatment paths.

For this reason, it will be increasingly important that all the institutional and association figures of patients unite and work in unison with the common goal of increasing the quality of our Health Service ". 

The importance of the relationship between SIU and patient associations 

"Our goal is to make the population understand that the urologist is not only the doctor of male well-being, that is the guardian of men's health, but also a doctor who deals with female urology - added 

, SIU Secretary General and Full Professor of Urology at the University of Foggia -.

It is no coincidence that this year we have been joined by 11 patient associations that address the issue of urology at 360 degrees.

We are sure that this 'alliance', this collaboration between the SIU and the associations, currently unique in Italy, will be very important for exchanging information and communicating more and more and better to the entire population the importance of prevention and early diagnosis. .

The urologist must accompany the man and the woman in all phases of life.

Certainly at the moment the figure of him is essential above all for men, in the prevention of infertility, through an early detection of varicocele, as well as in the prevention of tumors: to teach young people self-examination, for example,

THE MOST FREQUENT DISORDERS AND PATHOLOGIES

Interstitial cystitis

"With this new National Day for the first time the SIU recognizes the importance of an association of patients suffering from interstitial cystitis, as proof of the consideration for this complex and widespread pathology - said

 Head of the SIU education office and full professor of urology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan) -.

Also known as painful bladder syndrome, interstitial cystitis affects women in the vast majority of cases (500 per 100,000 inhabitants, the overall ratio is 10 to 1 compared to men).

And its numbers are on the rise also because, despite being a disease whose diagnosis is very difficult, urologists today are much better prepared than in the past in identifying it.

In the face of very serious symptoms, which heavily affect the quality of life, the lines of therapy available today are different and effective.

And surgery to remove the bladder is only used in about 10% of cases ".

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer (the most frequent between the ages of 25 and 49, 3,500 new cases a year and ever-increasing numbers) is one of the main issues to be addressed in urological prevention.

A field where there is good news.

“The first - explained 

, Head of the SIU Scientific Office and Head of UOC Urology, University Hospital of Messina - is that we are dealing with a neoplasm that is cured in the vast majority of cases, except for very rare situations.

The second is that in the range of therapeutic treatments today there is also conservative surgery: in selected cases, evaluated from time to time by the urologist, it is in fact possible not to completely remove the testicle.

It is a solution confirmed by an ever increasing number of data, which gives us hope for the future.

Finally, thanks to laparoscopy and robotic surgery, in cases where it is necessary to remove the lymph nodes affected by the disease, the invasiveness of the procedures is enormously reduced, increasing the precision of the intervention.

Bladder cancer

Robotic surgery is also one of the most important innovations in terms of bladder cancer (second urological cancer by frequency, after that of the prostate, with 600,000 new diagnoses in 2020).

And its advantages are more than evident: "As demonstrated by a recent study published in JAMA - added 

 Head of Research Office and SIU Foundation and Director of Oncological, Minimally Invasive, Robotics and Andrological Urology of the Careggi AOU in Florence - compared to open surgery there were fewer hospitalizations, lower hospital readmission rate, lower mortality, complications of significantly reduced surgical incision and thrombo-embolic events.

The robotic approach is increasingly used, not only to remove the diseased organ but also to reconstruct a new one using the intestine.

Finally, in terms of prevention, it is essential to stop smoking because smoking is the most important cause of this disease and it is equally important to request a urological consultation in the event of even the slightest traces of blood in the urine ".

Sexuality

"Keeping sexual activity alive goes hand in hand with a better quality of life, both physically with the release of numerous mediators such as endorphins, both mentally and emotionally, especially with advancing age - concluded 

, Head of Resources and Communication at SIU and Full Professor of Urology, Federico II University of Naples -.

The data tells us that between 50 and 80% of men and women over 60 continue to be sexually active.

In particular, 53% of men and 42% of women between the ages of 60 and 69, and 43% of men and 22% of women over 70 have sex.

Among the disorders that can affect sexuality are erectile dysfunction with 40% of patients around the age of 50-55 and 50% of those over 70, testosterone deficiency (which according to estimates will affect about 1.4 million in 2030 and 1.7 million in 2050) and benign prostatic hypertrophy which affects about 6 million Italians.

Problems and pathologies that are often due to an incorrect lifestyle when young people and poor urological checks.

Also for this reason, especially today that technology allows it, maintaining an 'open line' with citizens, through all possible channels, is fundamental ".