ISMH Consensus Conference Overview

NEW YORK CITY – Two dozen medical experts from across the globe gathered in New York City last month to talk about the need for a consensus on the management of men's health.

The International Society of Men's Health (ISMH) and the Collins Center for Public Policy convened the experts for the first-ever Men's Health Maintenance Consensus Conference for a comprehensive look at the health risks men face and the ways the medical community can better address men's needs.

The Consensus Conference participants are working toward a standard protocol similar to the protocol for checkups and exams women undergo to manage the risks associated with their age and family history.

"A true health maintenance check list for men does not exist,” said ISMH president Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, who is director of the urology division at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Like its sponsor organization the ISMH, the Consensus Conference combines the wisdom of multiple clinical and social science disciplines related to men's health, including urology, cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, gerontology, psychiatry, psychology, sexual and reproductive medicine and public health.

Consensus Conference discussions ranged from the disparity of government funding for men's health issues compared to women's health issues, to the suspected roots of some of the leading causes of death in men.

That funding disparity is reflected in the federal National Institutes of Health budget. The annual funding dedicated to women's health initiatives is $3.5 billion. The agency directs no funding to men's health initiatives.

"There is a lack of commitment in the U.S.,” said Dr. April Young, a social anthropologist and vice president of the Collins Center for Public Policy, and Consensus Conference co-sponsor. "Unfortunately, there is similar inattention around the world to men's health needs and their well-being.”

HISTORY

A March 2010 study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice entitled "Are Men Shortchanged on Health?" found significant gender disparities in life expectancy and major disease morbidity.

"We postulate that there is deficiency in our understanding of men's health and of the factors that affect men's health,” the article's authors wrote.

The shorter life expectancy for men is consistent regardless of geography, race and ethnicity, the study found. In addition, the mortality rate for men is higher than women for 12 of the 15 leading causes of death. Coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are more deadly to men than to women.

The authors concluded that the lower life expectancy for men can be attributed to biological and clinical factors such as the higher incidence of cancer and heart disease.

"In the context of public health, raising awareness of cardiovascular and metabolic health is needed to reduce the gender disparity,” the authors wrote. "In addition, consideration or preventative and early detection/intervention programs may improve health.”

NYC CONFERENCE

That consideration is precisely what brought the Consensus Conference experts to New York City at the end of April. Members traveled from as far as Malaysia and Ireland, Austria and Germany, and from Los Angeles, Boston and Washington D.C., among other cities and countries. Learn more about the participants and read their bios.

In preparation, ten work groups of three or four experts were assigned major diseases and health risks affecting men. They ranged from cardiovascular issues, to erectile dysfunction, depression and poverty. The work groups studied the latest clinical evidence and policy related to their topics and presented their findings at the conference.

The findings will shape the Consensus Conference group's suggested protocol for managing men's health over the course of their lives. Members suggested developing specific protocols to target men in three ranges: from age 20 to 40, from age 40 to 60, and beyond age 60.

Beyond the clinical findings were universal frustrations the members shared. In particular, the simple health advice men ignore.

Men may agree in the exam room to quit smoking, eat more fruits and vegetables, and exercise routinely, but the reality is that few alter their behavior. Rarely do men ask about preventative exams other than the prostate check every middle-aged man knows too well.

Changing that mentality is a goal the group will work toward.

WHAT'S NEXT

In the end, the conferees decided to develop two documents in advance of the next ISMH meeting, the World Congress on Men's Health taking place in Nice, France, in October 2010.

The first document will be a draft protocol, attempting a comprehensive list of guidelines the group recommends men and the health practitioners that treat them follow. Whether it will be called a protocol or a set of recommendations or guidelines the group has yet to decide.

The second document will be an agenda for the next 10 years that provides a deeper analysis of the issues confronting men's health.

The core planning group of the Consensus Conference, including Dr. Martin Miner, Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, Dr. April Young, Dr. David Canty, and Dr. Ruben Pinkhasov, will present abstracts of the documents in Nice.

"We'll use the opportunity to gather feedback from an even larger group of men's health practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts,” Dr. Young said. "We expect at least 1,000 men's health experts from around the world will attend the WCMH 2010—very exciting.” The core planning group will use input from the WCMH 1020 to further clarify and define the insights from the New York City Consensus Conference.

"We expect them to be published shortly thereafter,” Dr. Shabsigh said of the men's health management recommendations and the 10-year agenda.