Open and free meetings about prostate problems with general practitioners and urologists are held in different regions of the country. The initiative is part of the national men’s health campaign “Go for a checkup”. The main goal is to encourage men over 50 to pay attention to the symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate and visit their GP or urologist for competent help, instead of resorting to self-medication. The “Go for an examination” campaign is related to the disease Benign prostatic hyperplasia and explaining the benefit of its timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as the risks of delaying them. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a benign disease of the prostate gland. It is expressed in an increase in the prostate, which begins to press the urinary canal and creates discomfort when urinating. The narrowing of the urethra and residual urine in the bladder cause the complaints accompanying the disease. The condition is associated with frequent getting up at night, discomfort when going outside if it is necessary to use the toilet, etc. Benign prostatic hyperplasia occurs in men over 50, 55 years of age, and therefore it is mandatory for every man to consult a urologist. Although, according to statistics, about 3/4 of men of this age have an enlarged prostate, only a small number of them show the characteristic disease symptoms. For this reason, as well as concern about the subject, a very low percentage of men are interested in the disease and tend to visit their GP or urologist. Self-medication, which can alleviate the symptoms, but does not solve the problem, is often quite wrong. The “Go for an examination” campaign began in April 2012 and continues for a year with meetings in various Bulgarian cities. Its initiators are the Bulgarian Urological Society, the National Association of General Practitioners in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Red Cross, with the assistance of GlaxoSmithKline. Details of the campaign can be obtained on the national freephone line 0800 18 187, which is open every weekday from 9.30am to 11.30am.
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