AEGiS-WSJ: Net Benefits: Where men can turn to help close the gender gap in health

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Net Benefits: Where men can turn to help close the gender gap in health

Wall Street Journal - October 11, 2004
Laura Landro, laura.landro@wsj.com

It isn't a man's world when it comes to health care. Men make only half as many visits to doctors as women do for preventive care, die almost six years younger than women, and are more likely to become victims of cancer, stroke, heart disease, depression and suicide.

They also go online for health information less often than women. According to the nonprofit Pew Internet and American Life project, which surveyed Internet users last year about how they use the Web for health, 72% of women said they had ever searched about a specific disease or medical problem, compared with 54% of men. Women are more likely to say their latest search was at least in part for someone else -- including the men in their lives.

Fortunately for both genders, a growing number of resources are available online to help sort through the complex health issues facing men, especially as they age. Online resources are especially useful for men who might be too embarrassed to ask about sensitive subjects like prostate trouble, impotence and incontinence; according to the Pew study, out of 16 different health topics, the only subject men searched for more often than women was sexual health.

On that topic, some drug-company Web sites are worth visiting: While most of the ads for erectile-dysfunction drugs tend to focus on lifestyle pitches, sites like Viagra.com and Levitra.com offer more useful information about the condition and the products, including side effects. But their main aim is to promote use, so it's best to consult other sites as well, such as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (kidney.niddk.nih.gov), which has unbiased information on the drugs and other alternatives for treating the problem.

As usual in health information searches, most of the best data is from nonprofit Web sites sponsored by medical specialty groups, academic medical centers, the government and health advocacy groups. A number of sites also offer help in researching more general health issues, including heart attacks, stroke, emphysema, and chronic liver and kidney diseases, which are among the top killers of men. Men's health sites also contain useful information on rare conditions and on men's risks for diseases commonly thought of as female health concerns -- including osteoporosis, breast cancer and eating disorders.

Here are some of the best sites where you can find information about men's health.

urologyhealth.org

The American Urology Association's patient Web site is written and reviewed by urology experts in partnership with the American Foundation for Urologic Disease. It includes data on conditions such as enlarged prostate (referred to as benign prostate hyperplasia, or BPH), which strikes about half of men by age 60 and at least 80% by age 80, as well as on the more deadly diseases like testicular cancer and prostate cancer. In the past few years, an array of new treatments have emerged for such conditions, and the site offers information on how to evaluate different types of therapy. Users can click on the "show me pictures" icon for explanatory anatomical diagrams.

4npcc.org

The National Prostate Cancer Coalition has information on treatment and research for prostate cancer, which accounts for more than 32% of all male cancer cases in the U.S. and 10% of male cancer deaths. In keeping with the group's push to increase research spending, its site provides information on how to contact local members of Congress and allows users to make research donations online.

mayoclinic.com

Mayo's Men's Health Center, accessible by clicking the Men's Health link under Health Centers on the clinic's main site, has interviews with doctors and self-assessment quizzes. A feature called "What's Normal, What's Not as You Age" discusses, balding, body fat and "scrotal masses" made up of fluid or solid material in, on or around a testicle. The site also gives pros and cons of testosterone therapy, lists recommended screening tests for men and has an interactive quiz to determine how well men take care of themselves.

medlineplus.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/menshealth.html

The National Library of Medicine's special section for men includes an alphabetical list of health topics, including male breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and infertility. It also links to other sites with news, articles, studies and treatment options; links to special information for teens (including conditions common to teenage boys such as athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm) and senior citizens (osteoporosis in men, hair replacement and arthritis). The site also links to government-sponsored clinical trials via clinicaltrials.gov.

oncolink.com

The University of Pennsylvania's cancer Web site for consumers has information on prostate-cancer treatment options, prevention and screening. It includes an online service to match patients with clinical trials at the university.

familydoctor.org/men.xml

The consumer site of the American Academy of Family Physicians has information on general health, including diet, nutrition and hair loss; prostate and reproductive health, including sexually transmitted diseases; and mental health and addictions. It offers access to medical journal research papers written by doctors on subjects such as erectile-dysfunction drugs and their side effects, along with patient-friendly versions of the papers by the same doctors.

noah-health.org/english/wellness/healthyliving/menshealth.html

The New York Online Access to Health site links to useful information, including instructions on how to perform a testicular self-examination.

intellihealth.com

A partnership between insurer Aetna Inc. and Harvard Medical School, the site has a men's health section that includes a primer on testicular cancer, background on eating disorders in men and a guide to age-appropriate exercise.

cdc.gov/men

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's site for men covers diseases, health issues and lifestyle risks that affect men's health. It also links to information on AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

menshealthnetwork.org

The nonprofit group behind this site supports efforts to increase funding for men's health research and services, including legislation to create an Office of Men's Health modeled after the Office of Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. The site includes form letters to be sent to Congress supporting the effort.

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