Despite considerable public health initiatives in the past century, there remains a significant gender inequality in life expectancy. The Global Burden of Diseases study has highlighted that the life expectancy for men is 70. 5years, compared with 75.6years for women. This discrepancy in mortality appears to be related to a disproportionately higher number of preventable and premature male deaths. Whilst there has been an increased focus on men's health, as evidenced by the establishment of men's health charities and governmental legislation promoting equality, a recent World Health Organization report has highlighted that there is still a prevailing misconception that the higher rate of premature mortality amongst men is a natural phenomenon. We explore the association of male sexual and reproductive health-related diseases and the potential role of a urologist in addressing gender inequality in life expectancy. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we discuss the causes for the gender gap in life expectancy and highlight that men continue to have a higher rate of premature death than women, which is associated with diseases of the male reproductive system. Furthermore, this not only appears to be related to a number of metabolic and lifestyle factors, but may also be the result of the increased risk of cancer in men with sexual and reproductive health-related diseases.
European urology focus. 2019 Nov 08 [Epub ahead of print]
Tharu Tharakan, Carlo Bettocchi, Joana Carvalho, Giovanni Corona, Ulla N Joensen, Hugh Jones, Ates Kadioglu, Juan I Martínez Salamanca, Ege C Serefoglu, Paolo Verze, Julie Darraugh, Karin Plass, James N'Dow, Andrea Salonia, Suks Minhas, EAU Working Group on Male Sexual and Reproductive Health
Department of Urology, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK; Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK., Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal., Andrology Unit, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy., Department of Urology, Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark., Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Barnsley Hospital NHS Trust, Barnsley, UK., Department of Urology, İstanbul University İstanbul School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey., Department of Urology, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Hierro Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain., Department of Urology, Medicana International Hospital, Ankara, Turkey., Department of Urology, University of Naples, Naples, Italy., European Association of Urology Guidelines Committee, Arnhem, The Netherlands., Department of Surgery, The University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK., Department of Urology, University Vita, Salute San Raffaele, Scientific Institute H. San Raffaele, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK. Electronic address: .