Introduction to risk assessment and serum risk markers for the prevention of coronary heart disease and other potential conditions that impact men's health, part II: what do I tell my patients?
Markers and other potential tests for cardiovascular risk abound, and a more extensive review of these and other markers can be found elsewhere. Cardiovascular health tends to mirror urologic health for several conditions. It is imperative in the urology setting that clinicians discuss the probability of early morbidity and mortality with patients. This should not undermine the importance of prostate cancer and other diseases, but rather place risks in their proper perspective. Patients seem to need this guidance more than ever because life expectancy for most individuals continues to increase, and the potential for comorbidities seems to increase in the average aging patient. It is hoped that this article will prompt new interest in evaluating some risk factors for various urologic conditions. This may move researchers closer to discovering intervention agents that could impact numerous male health conditions favorably. Improving men's health will require a concerted educational and research effort from several health disciplines, a reminder that different medical specialties have much in common, and the role of preventive medicine is to point out similarities as opposed to differences.
Moyad
Mark A
MA
Department of Urology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0330, USA. moyad@umich.edu
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006304:Health Status; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D006710:Homocysteine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002118:Calcium