Are lower urinary tract symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease in the Dutch general population? Results from the Krimpen study.

PURPOSE: To describe the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), with adjustment for age and other confounders. We were specifically interested in the possible predictive value of LUTS to the incidence of CVD in the future in the general population. METHODS: We performed post hoc analyses using data from the Krimpen study, a large community-based study in the Netherlands. All men aged 50-75 years, without prostate or bladder cancer, a history of radical prostatectomy, or neurogenic bladder disease, were invited to participate for a response rate of 50%. At baseline, 1,610 men were included. CVD status was compared to LUTS category, using logistic regression, providing odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (OR 95% CI). For the longitudinal analyses in men without CVD at baseline, hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models with the occurrence of a CVD as outcome variable. RESULTS: At baseline, 362 men (22%) had a history of CVD. The ORs for CVD for men with moderate to severe LUTS were 2.04 (unadjusted, 95% CI 1.58-2.63), 1.86 (1.43-2.41, adjusted for age), and 1.81 (1.38-2.37, adjusted for age and other confounders). Of the 1,248 CVD-free men, 58 (4.6%) had a CVD event. HRs for moderate to severe LUTS were 0.98 (95% CI 0.52-1.86, unadjusted) and 1.08 (0.57-2.07, adjusted for age, obesity, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction). CONCLUSIONS: The cross-sectional analyses revealed a clear correlation between moderate to severe LUTS and CVD. In longitudinal analyses, however, no significant association was shown.

Examination of skin lesions for cancer: which clinical decision aids and tools are available in general practice?

BACKGROUND: While skin cancer incidence is rising throughout Europe, general practitioners (GP) feel unsure about their ability to diagnose skin malignancies. Objectives To evaluate whether the GP has sufficient validated clinical decision aids and tools for the examination of potentially malignant skin lesions. METHODS: We conducted a review searching Medline and the Cochrane Library. In addition, reference lists and personal archives were examined. Outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity but also the advantages and disadvantages of different clinical decision aids and tools. RESULTS: No clinical decision aids or tools for the examination of non-pigmented lesions are available. Clinical decision aids and tools for the examination of pigmented lesions have mostly been studied in secondary care and, in primary care, randomised clinical trials comparing the additional value of a clinical decision aid or tools to care are scarce. CONCLUSION: Sufficiently validated clinical decision aids and tools for the examination of potentially malignant skin lesions are lacking in general practice. The clinical decision aids and tools available in primary care need to be studied.

Skin lesions suspected of malignancy: an increasing burden on general practice.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is believed to impose a heavy burden on healthcare services, but the burden of skin lesions suspected of malignancy on primary healthcare has never been evaluated. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the demand for care in general practice due to these suspected skin lesions (i.e. lesions that are suspected of malignancy by either the patient or the GP). METHODS: Registry study based on data (2001-2010) from the Registration Network Groningen. This is a general practice registration network in the northern part of the Netherlands with an average annual population of approximately 30,000 patients. All patient contacts are coded according to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC). Consultations for skin lesions suspected of malignancy were selected according to the assigned ICPC codes. Subsequently, the number of consultations per year and the annual percent change in number of contacts (using the JoinPoint regression program) were calculated and analysed. Additionally, the percentage of patients referred to secondary care or receiving minor surgery within one year after the first contact were calculated. RESULTS: From 2001 onwards we found an annual increase in demand for care due to skin lesions suspected of malignancy of 7.3% (p < 0.01) and in 2010 the benign:malignant ratio was 10:1. In total 13.0% of the patients were referred and after 2006, minor surgery was performed on 31.2% of the patients. Most surgeries and referrals took place within 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Suspected skin lesions impose an increasing burden on primary healthcare and most likely on healthcare costs as well. General practitioners should therefore be trained in diagnosing skin lesions suspected of malignancy, as a high diagnostic accuracy can save lives in the case of melanoma, and may also prevent unnecessary, costly, excisions and referrals to secondary healthcare.

[Summary of the NHG practice guideline 'Lower urinary tract symptoms in men']. / Samenvatting van de NHG-standaard 'Mictieklachten bij mannen'.

In general practice, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men are usually not attributable to specific disorders. Prostate cancer is rarely the cause of LUTS. Education, counselling, and non-pharmaceutical advice form the basis for treatment of LUTS. Only when these measures do not relieve the patient's symptoms sufficiently, drug therapy could be considered. Alpha-blockers are the drugs of first choice and are also recommended when transurethral catheterization is needed for acute urinary retention. The effect of medication on LUTS is limited and largely based on placebo effect. The effectiveness of prostate cancer screening is a subject of debate; therefore patients asking for a PSA test should be informed about the benefits and harms of measuring PSA before having a test. A PSA value > 4 ng/ml, or abnormal results on digital rectal examination should prompt further diagnostic evaluation.

[Skin tumours underexposed in general practice]. / Huidtumoren onderbelicht in de huisartsenpraktijk.

General practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands frequently assess skin tumours such as moles. However, the training of medical students, GP trainees and postgraduate training of GPs in evaluating these skin lesions is limited. Furthermore, literature is scarce and no guidelines are available. It is still unclear when histopathological evaluation of an excised skin lesion should be performed. Additional research in primary care populations and the development of a guideline would promote a more unambiguous approach. More (postgraduate) education is needed on this topic. Dermatoscopy and teledermatology might also play a role in improving care.