Urology
Article Abstract:
One of the more common problems facing urologists is kidney stones. Kidney stones affect about 2.5 percent of the population, and 50 to 70 percent of these cases are idiopathic, meaning there is no obvious cause for the disorder. About half of the patients with idiopathic kidney stones have high levels of calcium in the blood, which is often the result of diet. Kidney stones are usually recurrent, but adequate water intake is sufficient to prevent recurrence in over 60 percent of all cases. Studies have shown that the use of thiazides and allopurinol can decrease the risk of stone formation; thiazides are diuretic drugs, and allopurinol is an enzyme inhibitor which causes a reduction in the amount of uric acid in the blood and urine. The development of the lithotriptor is the major advance in the treatment of kidney stones which are too large and cannot be passed. This device generates shock waves which travel easily through the soft tissues of the body. The harder stones, on the other hand, absorb energy from the shock wave and may be broken. About 75 percent of patients treated in this way will be freed of their kidney stones, but recurrences will occur in 6 to 11 percent. Acute trauma is likely, and bleeding is a common complication. However, there is no evidence of any longer-term kidney damage resulting from this technique. The more modern lithotripsy devices permit the procedure to by performed without anesthesia; over 20 different types of lithotriptors are being evaluated in clinical research. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1991
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Urology
Article Abstract:
The Clinical Practice Guideline for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is helpful in diagnosing and treating urinary disease in men over age 50. Diagnosis is based mostly on the patient's own assessment of symptoms using a questionnaire, a medical history, and several examinations. Treatment can be surgery, drug therapy or just waiting and periodically checking the symptoms. Routine screening for prostate cancer in older men is probably not recommended because of lack of information that screening reduces deaths. Research into immunologic therapies to treat the spread of renal cell carcinoma is showing potential benefits.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Urology
Article Abstract:
The most widely publicized urology treatment in 1997 was the drug Viagra, which is used to treat impotence. The failure of finasteride to significantly reduce symptoms of benign prostate enlargement has prompted some men to try saw palmetto, an herbal treatment. Deaths from prostate cancer have decreased since 1990 but there is no strong evidence that medical screening has contributed to the decline. A study showed that prostate tumors with a Gleason score of 5 or less have a good prognosis without treatment whereas those with a score of 6 or more have a poor prognosis without treatment.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1999
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