NIH Radio
Urologic Diseases Cost Americans $11 Billion a Year
Brief Description:
$11 billion a year! That's how much Americans pay to treat bladder, prostate and other urinary tract diseases, according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health.
Transcript:
Schmalfeldt: $11 billion a year! That's how much Americans pay to treat bladder, prostate and other urinary tract diseases, according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health. Medicare's share of that burden exceeds $5.4 billion. According to the authors of "Urologic Diseases in America" — a report funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases — the five most expensive urologic problems, in descending order, are urinary tract infections, kidney stones, prostate and bladder cancers, and benign prostate enlargement. The report described more than a dozen diseases of children and adults — among them congenital abnormalities, erectile dysfunction, chronic prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, urinary incontinence, and a chapter on sexually transmitted diseases contributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can learn more by logging on to http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov — click on "statistics" to find Urologic Diseases in America. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Bill Schmalfeldt in Bethesda, Maryland.
About This Audio Report
Date: 6/01/2007
Reporter: Bill Schmalfeldt
Topic: Urologic Diseases
Institute(s): NIDDK
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