|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Monday, October 28, 2002Is it just me or does it seem that we have gone way overboard on the issue that common diseases present differently in men than in women. My opinion is not meant to be sexist and I hope that subconsciously that isn't the motivation, but it seems that some researchers are publishing articles such as this one that is basically useless to the daily practitioner, and provide more fodder for the media health coverage, especially those geared towards women or looking to attract women viewers or listeners. It may be an easy and popular way to pad your CV, but appears to provide no useful information for a physician. In some ways, it seems to me that it also encourages the somewhat incorrect idea, that women are completely ignored in our medical community. I apologize for this somewhat sour view, but I guess my experience has a lot to do with my attitude. After working predominantly in a woman's health arena for many years, the amount of dollars and time thrown at only women's health in most hospitals today is amazing. Aside from the plethora of breast centers, gyn centers, there's a tremendous industry of women's support groups flourishing in and around hospitals today. I know I am partly to blame for the programs at my facility, but of late, I'm really starting to wonder whether we've gone way over the line. This was driven home to me recently by a woman who was the mother of a 17 year old I had the misfortune to do a testicular ultrasound on recently when I informed her that her son had a large testicular mass that he had been ignoring for the last 8 - 9 months. When I explained to her that this was not an uncommon neoplasm and predominantly struck young men, not infrequently in their teens, she looked around the room and the adjacent hallway, covered in information posters and displays on breast cancer, obstetrics, and women's support group offerings, and said to me, " Why don't we hear about that?" I had no answer. How many middle and high schools or colleges teach boys and young men about testicular self exam and the importance of seeking a physician's expertise when they feel a testicular lump? I'm not sure how much education girls get in female health from school, but there is certainly a disproportionate amount of media coverage devoted to women's health compared to men's health. The underlying assumption is that women don't understand their bodies and need education, and that men do know their bodies and are less likely to ignore problems. This isn't true. In my experience there is no sex difference in the capacity for denial. And by the way, that stroke story I posted about yesterday is all over the media, predictably giving more credence to the sex differences in stroke symptoms than they deserve. posted by Sydney on 10/28/2002 06:09:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
