Men must get clinical evaluations occasionally to ensure their bodies are working fine. In addition, there are several check-ups they should go through once in a while. Here are five essential health check-ups that every man should consider.
A health checkup entails seeing a medical practitioner assess your health status. Routine checkups could help reveal early signs of any impending health issues. Thus timely identification of any potential health problem helps. First, you can identify a complication before its manifests into a critical or chronic condition. Then you also avoid the stress associated with emergency medical responses. This saves you both time and money. Here are five health checkups that every man needs.A health checkup entails seeing a medical practitioner assess your health status. Routine checkups could help reveal early signs of any impending health issues. Thus timely identification of any potential health problem helps. First, you can identify a complication before its manifests into a critical or chronic condition. Then you also avoid the stress associated with emergency medical responses. This saves you both time and money. Here are five health checkups that every man needs.
- Echocardiogram
Don’t be intimidated by the term above. It’s a test that checks your heart stress level and it’s called a cardiac stress test.
If you are a heavy drinker or have a history of heart disease in your family, find time to take the cholesterol and blood pressure tests to establish how fit your heart is.
Elevated blood pressure causes the heart to work under duress. This test shows whether your heart is working fine or under pressure.
But even before you take the echocardiogram test, you can use a simple BP monitor to assess your blood pressure. The key is to keep the reading below 120/80 mmHg.
A higher reading above this range indicates that your heart is strained and likely to emit high blood pressure signs. This puts a strain on the heart function.
An ECG scan shows whether your heart is suffering from excessive strain. This helps you to take remedial measures.
- Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy or endoscopy is a scan of the colon lining. It’s used to detect conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, and colitis.
Urologists recommend that you take this scan every three years. Colon screening can report the presence of cancerous colon polyps and growths along the colon lining. These are telltale signs of colon cancer – a leading cancer in men.
If you notice redness in your waste matter, be sure to check again if it recurs. And if the stool is reddish after two days, then you should prepare for colonoscopy to establish the cause of bleeding.
Blood in your stool always indicates a major problem along your digestive tract. These can stem from injuries in the esophagus, stomach, small or even large intestines.
Taking this test is easy and quick. Abstain from eating solid foods twenty-four hours before the tests. The procedure takes only two hours and another two hours for the mild effects to dissipate.
- Skin examination
Skin is the largest organ and naturally, it’s exposed to the elements. Skin cancer is popularly called melanoma and is prevalent in men over 50 years.
With climate change and changing weather patterns, your skin suffers the full brunt. Thus it’s prudent to inspect your skin texture monthly.
If you notice any change in color, blemishes, or dark moles, investigate further. The following ABCDE can help you detect skin problems.
A denotes is any asymmetry on moles. A mole may split vertically or not the same shade. B is the border around the moles. Are the edges irregular?
The C stands for the color of the mole and D for its diameter. Letter E here is everything else you notice about the mole. Does it itch or bleed?
Seek medical attention for new moles that continue growing and are larger than 5 mm. But you can do your part to eliminate moles on your skin.
Always protect yourself from excessive ultraviolet heat by covering your head while outdoors. Also, be mindful of environmental pollution.
- PSA
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test establishes prostate health. Men over fifty years suffer varying ailments due to prostate complications. They range from an enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, and urinary tract infections.
Prostate cancer is a leading killer of men in many countries. Although it’s a slow mutation, some forms are aggressive and cause much agony.
There are many tell-tale signs that your prostate isn’t working well. The most common symptom is having difficulties urinating. Sometimes, you are unable to hold urine or you always feel an urge to visit the washroom.
These anomalies are caused by an enlarged prostate. The increased gland size presses on the urethra and bladder, thus reducing their urine-discharge speed and urine-holding capacity, respectively.
If you suspect that you have prostate issues, it’s better to visit your urologist. It’s only through regular and prompt tests that you can address these complications.
The PSA and digital rectal exam (DRE) may shade more light on possible prostate cancer or benign prostate.
- Lung screening
Whether you smoke or not, you are advised to go for lung screening at least annually. But it’s more urgent when you are a regular smoker, have been smoking for the last ten years, or stopped smoking in the past five years.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF) advises all men over 50 years to undergo lung screening. The check-lung procedure is called low-dose computer tomography or low-dose CT scan,
The procedure is quick, taking under a minute to perform. During the scan, your radiologist checks your lung structure via X-ray slides.
Smoking accounts for more than 90% of lung cancer. But there is a category of men who inhale cigarettes involuntarily. Then some inhale environmental pollution. These could be due to a polluted working environment or living in areas covered with a lot of pollution. All these people are passive smokers.
Whatever way you inhale carcinogens, you are likely to contact lung cancer. Yet lung cancer continues to put a significant strain on the health care system.
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How Often Should Men Have A Health Check?
Introduction
Men’s health is a subject that is often overlooked, and yet it is just as important as women’s health. While the traditional view is that men should only be seen by a doctor when they are sick, the truth is that regular check-ups are essential for men’s health. In this paper, we will discuss how often men should have a health check and what kind of check-ups they should have.
How Often Should Men Have a Health Check?
Men should have a comprehensive health check-up every one to two years, depending on their age. If a man is between the ages of 18 and 39, then a health check-up every two years is recommended. For men aged 40 and over, a health check-up every year is recommended. These check-ups should include a physical exam, blood work, and any other tests that are deemed necessary.
What Kind of Health Check-Ups Should Men Have?
At each check-up, men should have a physical exam, which includes a blood pressure and heart rate check, as well as an examination of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, and skin. This should also include a check of the lymph nodes, abdomen, and testicles.
Blood work should also be done at each check-up, which includes tests for cholesterol, glucose, kidney and liver function, and other tests as deemed necessary.
Men should also have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test every year, starting at age 50. This test is used to detect prostate cancer.
Conclusion
Men’s health is just as important as women’s health, and regular check-ups are essential for maintaining good health. Men should have a comprehensive health check-up every one to two years, depending on their age, and this should include a physical exam, blood work, and any other tests that are deemed necessary. Men should also have a PSA test every year, starting at age 50. By following these recommendations, men can take proactive steps towards their health and wellbeing.
