Urban men in Shenzhen and Shanghai, both economically booming cities in southern China, suffer from health problems due to increasing work pressure and unhealthy lifestyles, according to the outcome of surveys released late last week.

Three "men's diseases" are prevalent in Shenzhen men: erectile dysfunction (ED), prostatitis and sterility, said Prof. Chen Dening, director of the Andrology Department with Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangdong Province.

About 37.6 percent men suffer from insomnia, 27.6 percent with dermatitis, inflammation of the skin, and 25.1 percent from psychological problems, according to surveys conducted by Shenzhen municipal public health department.

Similar surveys in Shanghai show that 40 percent of interviewees suffer from insomnia, 50 percent feel worn out both physically and mentally and 40 percent feel worried and have a quick temper, said Xu Anqi, a researcher with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

According to authoritative estimation, 52 percent of Chinese men over 40 years old suffer from ED. Medical experts ascribe this phenomenon to environmental pollution, medicine abuse and unhealthy lifestyles. About 150 million Chinese men are suffering from prostatitis which could lead to impotence and sterility.

However, most ED patients are reluctant to see doctors, said Hu Peicheng, secretary general and vice president of the China Sexology Society, calling for more efforts to promote sex education among people in China to improve their health level.

(Xinhua News Agency November 2, 2004)