The American journal of medicine
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Disparities based on race and ethnicity still exist in the US healthcare system. Such disparities are reflected in the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among African Americans and Latinos. The prevalence of risk factors for BPH and LUTS and symptom progression are higher in these populations, but treatment is less common. ⋯ The provision of nondiscriminatory treatment poses a challenge to clinicians that can partially be addressed by improving the cultural competence of practitioners in minority communities. An awareness of the customs and healing traditions of African Americans and Latinos may also facilitate culturally appropriate care and improve outcomes, and the participation of clinicians in continuing education/professional development programs to increase knowledge about minority health issues is recommended. Conversely, improving the health literacy of African American and Latino patients with BPH and LUTS can help avoid ineffective nontraditional methods of treatment.
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In the United States, research into the etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and the incidence and treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in racial/ethnic minority patients is just beginning, despite a high incidence of both conditions in these populations. The relative risks for the development of BPH and commonly comorbid conditions in African Americans and Latinos may be increased compared with the white majority population. ⋯ Despite the disproportionately high rates of BPH-associated risk factors and comorbidities associated with the condition, a large proportion of minority patients with BPH and LUTS are undiagnosed and untreated. Expanding the information base on BPH and LUTS in minority patients may help to narrow existing ethnic/racial disparities in treatment and to reduce the impact of LUTS on the quality of life of these patients.
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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), with accompanying lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), is a common age-related condition associated with a variety of cardiovascular, metabolic, and sexual comorbidities. While there is debate, in the United States race and ethnicity, particularly among Latinos and African American men, may confer an elevated risk for BPH and LUTS. ⋯ The proliferation of available treatments for BPH demands greater discernment in treatment selection, and comorbidities represent a central criterion upon which choice of appropriate BPH therapy should be based. This article reviews common comorbidities in minority populations, describes challenges to BPH management, and discusses medical, surgical, and phytotherapeutic treatment options.
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia is a serious and possibly fatal condition. It is important to determine the likelihood of P. aeruginosa bacteremia when Gram-negative sepsis is suspected in community-onset infection. ⋯ Our data suggest that initial empirical antimicrobial coverage of P. aeruginosa should be seriously considered in patients with neutropenia, presentation with septic shock, indwelling central venous catheter, or health-care-associated infection, when Gram-negative sepsis is suspected in community-onset infection.