Andrology: diseases — симптомы, диагностика и лечение

Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual disorder in men, in which ejaculation occurs earlier than desired and the man cannot control it. A key point that is often missed: the diagnosis is not made by a stopwatch, but by a combination of three signs - short time, inability to control and associated distress in the man or couple.

Hypogonadism is a condition in which the testicles do not produce enough testosterone. Its symptoms are nonspecific: fatigue, decreased desire, weight gain, irritability - and are easily attributed to stress or age. At the same time, today there is an opposite problem: testosterone is prescribed without proper reasons, which suppresses the hormone’s own production and deprives a man of fertility. Therefore, both diagnosis and treatment here require a strict approach.

Phimosis is a condition in which the foreskin does not allow full exposure of the head of the penis. In young boys, this is a normal physiological phenomenon that resolves itself as they grow older. In adolescents and adult men, persistent or newly appeared narrowing is already considered a pathology: it impedes hygiene, causes inflammation and can lead to paraphimosis, a condition requiring emergency care.

Balanoposthitis is an inflammation of the glans penis and the inner layer of the foreskin. This is one of the most common reasons for visiting a urologist, and it is usually treated quickly. But there is an important detail: recurrent balanoposthitis in an adult man is often the first sign of diabetes mellitus, and persistent progression with scar formation leads to phimosis. Therefore, it is worth looking for the cause behind a seemingly simple inflammation.

Peyronie's disease is the formation of a dense scarring plaque in the tunica albuginea of ​​the penis, which causes curvature and sometimes pain during an erection. The disease occurs in two stages, and understanding this is fundamental: in the active phase, while the process continues, surgery is not performed, and in the stable phase, conservative treatment is no longer effective. Staging error is the most common cause of treatment failure.

A hydrocele is an accumulation of fluid between the membranes of the testicle, causing one half of the scrotum to increase in size. The condition itself is usually painless and not dangerous, but requires mandatory examination: a hernia, inflammation or tumor of the testicle may be hidden under the guise of dropsy. In addition, in adults, hydrocele is most often secondary - that is, it is a consequence of another problem that needs to be found.

Orchitis is inflammation of the testicle, epididymitis is inflammation of the epididymis; most often they occur together. The main task with pain and swelling in the scrotum is not so much to make this diagnosis, but to exclude testicular torsion, in which assistance is required within several hours. Therefore, any sudden pain in the scrotum is considered an emergency until a doctor proves otherwise.

Azoospermia is the complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate. For a man, this sounds like a death sentence, but in reality, the diagnosis only means the beginning of the examination, and not its end. The key question is why there are no sperm: because they are not produced or because they are formed but cannot be released. Both treatment and the chances of becoming a biological father, which in modern conditions a significant proportion of such men have, depend on the answer.

Testicular tumor is a rare disease in the general structure of oncology, but it is the most common malignant tumor in young men, approximately from fifteen to forty years. The main feature: if detected in a timely manner, this is one of the most curable oncological diseases. And the man himself is able to detect it at an early stage - with a simple self-examination.

Gynecomastia is an enlargement of the mammary glands in men due to the proliferation of glandular tissue. This is not a cosmetic detail: it may be due to hormonal disorders, liver disease, taking certain medications or anabolic steroids, and occasionally, a hormonally active tumor. Therefore, the first step for gynecomastia is not surgery or the gym, but an examination that will show the cause.