New BPH awareness campaign

The charity Prostate UK has launched a campaign to raise awareness about benign prostatic hypertrophy and to encourage men to seek medical advice for unexplained urinary symptoms rather than assuming they are a normal part of ageing. It also wants GPs to provide early treatment to minimise surgery and is campaigning for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to be included in the Quality Outcomes Framework.

Together with GlaxoSmithKline, Prostate UK has produced ProState of the Nation, a report highlighting underdiagnosis and undertreatment of BPH in primary care. It points out that the cost of care in the secondary sector is 60 per cent higher than in primary care, and recommends that primary care trusts and specialists jointly develop referral and treatment pathways for shared care.