General practitioners' procedures for sexual history taking and treating sexual dysfunction in primary care.

Introduction: Good history-taking skills are the first step towards achieving a correct diagnosis of sexual dysfunction (SD). However, studies show most general practitioners (GPs) do not take the initiative to ask the patient about SD, and when diagnosing a condition, they tend to give preference to their own criteria over clinical guidelines.

Aim: The aim of this study is to characterize GPs' attitudes towards taking sexual history, identifying its frequency and focus, and to describe GPs' diagnostics and therapeutic approaches including the use of clinical guidelines, exploring patients' and doctor-related differences.

General practitioners' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices in the management of sexual dysfunction-results of the Portuguese SEXOS study.

Introduction: Evidence shows that sexual dysfunctions (SDs) are very prevalent in both sexes and that they share risk factors with many other conditions. It is known that only a minority of people experiencing sexual problems seek treatment, but the role of the general practitioner (GP) in SD diagnosis and treatment is relatively unexplored. No study has been conducted in Portugal in order to identify GPs' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding SD and only a small amount of similar studies from other countries have been published.

A randomized double-blind study comparing the efficacy and safety of orlistat versus placebo in obese patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic disease and a serious health problem that leads to increased prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and gallbladder disease.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of orlistat for weight loss and improved lipid profile compared to placebo in obese patients with hypercholesterolemia, treated over a period of 6 months.

Methodology: In a 6-month, multicenter (10 centers in Portugal), double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study, 166 patients, aged 18-65 years, body mass index (BMI) > or = 27 kg/m2, LDL cholesterol > 155 mg/dl, were randomized to a reduced calorie diet (600 kcal/day deficit) plus orlistat three times a day or placebo.

Prevalence, severity, and risk factors for erectile dysfunction in a representative sample of 3,548 portuguese men aged 40 to 69 years attending primary healthcare centers: results of the Portuguese erectile dysfunction study.

Introduction: Many studies of the prevalence of erectile dysfunction have been conducted in several countries. This is the first Portuguese study that provides current and comparative data on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction.

Aim: The main objective was to estimate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men aged 40 to 69 years and correlate erectile dysfunction to certain risk factors.

CYP21A2 mutations in Portuguese patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: identification of two novel mutations and characterization of four different partial gene conversions.

More than 90% of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) cases are caused by 21-hydroxylase deficiency. In this study, the CYP21 gene was genotyped in 56 Portuguese unrelated patients with clinical symptoms of 21-hydroxylase deficiency, in a total of 112 independent alleles. CYP21A2 mutations were identified in 99.