Benign urological conditions include: benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a nonmalignant uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate gland, which affects most men over the age of 50; erectile dysfunction (ED) which affects an estimated 30 million men (www.urologychannel.com accessed August 12, 2002); overactive bladder, which causes people to experience an urgent need to urinate, affecting 17 million Americans (www.AFUD.org accessed August 12, 2002); and urinary incontinence, the unintentional loss of urine, affecting more than 13 million Americans, 11 million of whom are women (www.ahcpr.gov accessed August 12, 2002). These conditions, while benign, have significant social and economic effects. For example, with overactive bladder, the fear of a wetting accident often leads people to change behaviors and adopt preventive coping mechanisms (www.amwa-doc.org accessed August 12, 2002), such as limiting daily travel and avoiding social situations. The estimated annual cost of incontinence-related care is $16.4 billion.

Infections of the urinary tract accounted for about 8.3 million doctor visits in 1997 and account for the second most common form of overall infections (second only to respiratory infections) (www.niddk.nih.gov accessed August 12, 2001), and the most common form of bacterial infection (Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Sect. 17, Chapter 227).

Urologic cancers include the most common form of cancer, testicular cancer, in young men ages 15-35, (www.acor.org accessed August 12, 2002), the fifth most common cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer. While testicular cancer, if found early, is almost always curable (www.acor.org accessed August 12, 2002); bladder cancer is the 12th leading cause of cancer death (www.cancernews.com accessed August 12, 2002); and prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer in mortality for men (www.cancer.med.umich.edu accessed August 12, 2002). Treatment of urologic cancers has a significant effect on a patient's quality of life and economic situation. For example, treatment of prostate cancer may cause negative side effects, such as incontinence and impotence.

In recognition of the wide scope of urologic disorders and their impact on both quality of life and mortality, The France Foundation has developed educational programming in this area. To view available activities in the field of urology, please visit our homepage.

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