This morning I had to see a male patient who had been put on cholesterol-lowering medications. After the mandatory checks were over, he seemed reluctant to leave and appeared to have a question over his head. After some coaxing, he admitted to having impotence after commencing the medications.
This problem was easily sorted out, but it got me thinking …were there other ailments that people wanted to ask their doctors but were too shy to ask? A look on AOL Search yielded the answers:
Top Searched Embarrassing Health Concerns:
1. Herpes
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
3. Yeast Infection
4. Psoriasis
5. Urinary Tract Infection
6. Genital Warts
7. Hemorrhoids
8. Impotence
9. Hyperhidrosis
10. Incontinence
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Herpes leads the Most Embarassing Disease To Ask About
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Why, impotence wasn’t even in the top 5! I guess its hard bringing up health issues which are deemed private with a relative stranger on issues that make one blush just thinking of them. But the doctor is a trained professional and if you’re comfortable with yours, by all means bring it up. They’ve probably seen scores of patients with similar problems as yours anyway!
By the way, about the impotence (nowadays called erectile dysfunction) caused by cholesterol medications, especially statins - its quite common but the good news is that everything returns to normal a few days after stopping the pills. Then talk with your doctor to discuss about using a substitute..
Related Articles
- Getting Tested for Herpes (consults.blogs.nytimes.com)
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