African-American & Hispanic Men at Risk for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Many Do Not See a Doctor

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Prostate Awareness Month (September), the Men's Health Network (MHN) and the National Black Men's Health Network (NBMHN) announced today the expansion of the Back to Life Without Interruptions campaign, aimed at 50+ African-American and Hispanic men, to raise awareness about the manageable symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as enlarged prostate.

BPH affects approximately half of all men over the age of 50(1) and as many as 90 percent of men aged 70 and older(2). Symptoms of BPH include frequent and urgent urination; weak urinary stream; the need to urinate at night, or feeling of incomplete bladder emptying(3); but are manageable if properly diagnosed by a physician(4). Yet, African-American and Hispanic men are less likely than Caucasian men to see a physician(5). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 39 percent of Hispanic men did not visit a doctor or health professional in the past 12 months compared with 27 percent of African-American men and 23 percent of Caucasian men(6).

In response, the MHN has enhanced its Back to Life Without Interruptions campaign to offer information online at http://www.nointerruptions.com/ that is specific to African-American and Hispanic men age 50+. The site includes information about BPH, a complete self-assessment tool and tips on how to consult physicians about diagnosis and treatment in both Spanish and English.

"The symptoms of BPH may vary and, if left untreated, can involve problems with urination that disrupt men's daily lives(3,7)," said Osvaldo Padron, M.D., Urologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "From my experience, many of my patients tend to put off going to the doctor until it is absolutely necessary. Rather than seeking medical attention, men simply start to avoid certain activities such as long car rides and going to the movies because of their urinary problems."

The Back to Life Without Interruptions campaign hopes to bring to the forefront the issue that many men are adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate the symptoms of their BPH rather than treating them. A 2005 MHN survey of men age 50+ revealed nearly 70 percent of men would change their daily routines to compensate for the need to urinate frequently rather than seek medical attention(8).

"BPH affects nearly 8 million men in the United States(9), we want to encourage all men, including the African-American and Hispanic men who are statistically less likely to see a physician, to seek treatment if they experience symptoms of BPH and not to accept these types of daily interruptions in their lives," said Dr. Jean Bonhomme, Board of Directors, Men's Health Network and Founder of the National Black Men's Health Network. "There are treatments available and men do not have to alter their daily routines for this condition."

About Back to Life Without Interruptions

To learn more about BPH and its symptoms, men can visit http://www.nointerruptions.com/ for in-depth information about BPH and treatment options, including a resource to identify physicians across the country to address a man's BPH. The campaign is sponsored by sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.

About Enlarged Prostate, or BPH

BPH or enlarged prostate is defined as a progressive condition in which prostate cells grow more rapidly than normal and cause the prostate to become enlarged. BPH is not cancer and affects nearly 8 million men in the United States. Typically, symptoms of BPH start slowly and become severe over time to the point where men do not recognize how much they compromise their work and leisure activities to accommodate the need to urinate. Symptoms of BPH include frequent urination, urgency, nocturia, hesitancy, intermittency, weak urinary stream, and a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder.

About Men's Health Network (http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/)

Men's Health Network (MHN) is a non-profit educational organization comprised of physicians, researchers, public health workers, individuals and other health professionals. MHN is committed to improving the health and wellness of men through education campaigns, partnerships with retailers and other private entities, workplace health programs, data collection, and work with health care providers to provide better programs and funding for men's health needs.

About National Black Men's Health Network

The National Black Men's Health Network was founded in June 1987 by a group of community-conscious individuals to raise public awareness about the excessive morbidity and mortality rates in the African-American community in general and among African-American males in particular. African-American males are known to suffer extremely high rates of heart disease, cancer, homicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, HIV disease, injuries, and other major causes of disability and death. While maintaining a specific focus on the grave and often-neglected health concerns of African-American men, the organization also advocates and supports attention to the health needs of women and children, believing that the overall health of any community depends upon a positive balance between the genders.

US.ALF.06.08.024 (1) National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). Prostate Enlargement: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Available at: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement/index.htm. Last accessed 8/8/06. /p2/cA/Line A10-A13 (2) Wei, John; Calhoun, Elizabeth; Jacobsen, Steven J., et al. Urologic Diseases in America Project: BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA. Journal of Urology. 2005. 173(4):1256-1261./p1/cA/Line A3 (3) Issa, M, Marshall, F. Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Disease of the Prostate. 2005. Third Edition: 19-23./p1/cA,B/A28-A29; B1-B14/p2/cB/B17-B19 (4) American Urological Association. Enlarged Prostate, Benign Prostatic

Hyperplasia. Available at: http://www.urologyhealth.org/content/moreinfo/enlargedprostate.pdf#search=%22e nlarged%20prostate%20and%20AUA%22 /p2/cA/A14-A20

(5) Facts of Life: Issue Briefings for Health Reporters. Vol. 8, No. 5. May 2003. The Forgotten Population: Health Disparities and Minority Men./p1/cA/Line A21 - A22 (6) CDC. Summary Health Statistics for US Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2004. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 10, Number 228, May 2006. /p12, series 10 No.228/cB,cC/B58-C3 (7) Daly, Mel P. Quality of Life in Sexually Active Men with Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Clin Drug Invest. 2005;25 (4): 219- 230. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/504557 p2/cA/A39-41; p2/cA/A14-A18 (8) Back to Life Without Interruptions National Survey, 2005./ p6/cA/Line A11- A13

(9) Urologic Diseases of America: Interim Compendium. Available at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/uda/benign_prostatic_hyperplasia.pdf#pa ge=11 Last accessed 8/8/06; page 43/ p43/cA/A13-A17