10 Important Health Screenings for Men

Certain health problems show symptoms early and if they can be detected on time, then they can be treated easily so that you may remain strong and healthy. This is the reason why getting your doctor-recommended health care screenings on time is the kind of to-do list that every person should follow. Go through this post to know about 10 important health screenings for men and the right time for each of them.

Regular Health Screenings for Men

1. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Men who are in the age group of 65 and 75 and have smoked tobacco need to get screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is an imaging test like a computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study or ultrasound that may determine the size, extent and presence of an aortic aneurysm. The major risk is a rupture that can lead to fatal or severe internal bleeding.

2. Blood cholesterol

Men aged 35 and older should check their blood cholesterol levels daily. Those who smoke, are obese or overweight, have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or have a relative who had a heart attack before age 50 should check their cholesterol levels in their 20s. Several measures of cholesterol exist, and all of them play a crucial role in determining the risk for heart disease.

3. Blood pressure

Check your blood pressure daily, especially if you have cardiovascular risk factors, as frequent monitoring is essential. You can usually have it checked at your doctor’s office, a critical step for advanced men’s health checkups. Experts identify high blood pressure as a major risk factor for heart disease and other serious health issues.

4. Colon cancer

Every person need to get themselves screened for detecting colorectal (colon or rectal) cancer when they are 50. People who have a past family record of colorectal cancer need to go for a colonoscopy sooner. You will have to undergo different tests that can help to identify the presence of colon c ancer, but colonoscopy seems to be the gold standard.

5. Depression

Do not ignore your current mental condition. Each year, more than six million people suffer from depression, and many are under-diagnosed and under-treated. Consult a doctor to get screened for depression if you experience any of these symptoms for more than two weeks.

Significant change in your sleeping habits or appetite
Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
Feelings of guilt
Difficulty in thinking or concentrating
Restlessness, sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, or irritability
Decreased motivation or energy

So, if you find recurring thoughts of suicide or death, you need to seek for necessary treatment without delay.

6. Diabetes

Men suffering from high blood pressure or taking medication to control it should screen for diabetes. If you experience symptoms like frequent urination, sudden weight loss, increased hunger, severe thirst, or tingling in your hands or feet, consult a doctor for testing. The suitable screening for diabetes is a blood test that can calculate your blood sugar level for the last three months, on an average.

7. Hepatitis C virus

Every person need to conduct a blood test for detecting hepatitis C. This is because it is the major cause if liver cancer that occurs due to transfusion of blood, kidney failure or blood clotting factors.

8. HIV

People aged 65 or younger should get screened for HIV. Additionally, individuals over 65 should consult a doctor to arrange for their screening.

9. Obesity

With the help of a BMI calculator, you will be able to know your body mass index or BMI. In simple terms, experts consider a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 to be healthy, a BMI over 30 as obese, and a BMI above 25 as overweight. If you are having higher BMI, then the doctor might use one or more methods to for evaluating if you are obese or overweight. These include –using a caliper to calculate skinfold thickness above the hip, measuring waist circumference and estimate body fat percentage which involves sending safer dose of electricity through the body to calculate the percentage of fat.

10. Prostate cancer

The recommendations for prostrate cancer screening or PSA differ according to the health care experts. You need to talk to a doctor for knowing the benefits and risks of screening and know what the best option for your need is. Patients who want to do screening will have to perform these two tests:

During a digital rectal examination (DRE), the physician checks for an enlarged prostate or any lumps by inserting a finger into your rectum.

Doctors use a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to measure the level of a specific protein in the blood produced by the prostate gland, which tends to be higher in men with prostate cancer.

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