Beyond Andrology: Trends in Men’s Health in Emerging Markets

In my last column, I explored the concept of women’s health and considered the specific challenges that adversely impact female health outcomes in emerging markets as a result of their gendered roles in society. This month, I turn my attention to men’s health and look at how men in emerging markets face a different set of health challenges, again influenced in large part by the way gender is socially constructed, with the pressure to be a ‘macho’ man often having negative consequences on health. 
As with women’s health, men’s health can have both broad and narrow definitions. The narrow definition begins with andrology; conditions specific to male biology – such as prostate problems, testicular cancer and erectile dysfunction. It is revealing to note that while androgyny’s female counterpart, gynecology, is a board-certified medical specialty in many countries, andrology is not. It has only been described as a distinct specialty since the late 1960s. This lack of recognition perhaps goes some way to explaining why conditions such as the andropause – the male menopause or ‘manopause’, in which testosterone levels diminish with age – remain controversial.  While recent research indicates this may be far more common than originally estimated, it has yet to be well-studied and is not recognized by the World Health Organization.
The definition of men’s health can be extended to diseases that affect both sexes but are more common in men. Of the 15 top ...

Source: EyeForPharma - June 30, 2016 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Marc Yates Source Type: news