Health Risks in Men
Maintain your body for good health in the long run
By Terry Knowles, MD
It is a stereotype but, in general, men tend to take good care of their vehicles. When parts wear out, they are replaced. When the salt or dirt build-up becomes too great, the car or truck gets a thorough washing. Most men track when their vehicle is due for an oil change and faithfully get it accomplished.
Why, then, don’t we take the same approach when it comes to maintaining the most important vehicle of all – our bodies? Just like a car, as we get older our parts become worn down and in need of repair.
Men are much more likely than women to avoid going to the doctor at all unless they feel it is absolutely necessary. Not only does that mean you may have put off treatment of a condition until it becomes critical, but it precludes any preventive measures that could be taken as well.
While healthy men don’t require annual visits until they reach their fifties, men should be visiting the doctor once or twice in their thirties and three or four times in their forties. Depending on your health history, you may need to be seen more often to control conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
According to 2003 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number one health threat to men is heart disease followed closely by cancer. The CDCs ominous top 10 goes on from there in this order: unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, suicide, kidney disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Are you ready for some good news? Most of these conditions are highly preventable. The theme for prevention that runs throughout this top 10 list is obvious, one that we’ve all heard before but that cannot be repeated often enough: maintain healthy lifestyle habits, don’t use tobacco products, eat a diet that is diverse in fruits and vegetables and low in fat, exercise at least a little each day. A daily dose of aspirin – check with your doctor first – can also help prevent clots which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Although there are some risk factors that cannot be changed such as increasing age and heredity, at least by being aware of these you can be vigilant in maintaining healthy habits.
For instance, according to the American Heart Association 58,000 men died of stroke in 2004. The leading cause of stroke is high blood pressure – very preventable. A blood pressure reading of 140 over 90 constitutes high blood pressure. Heredity can certainly play a part in risk factors for high blood pressure which means you should have your blood pressure checked more often than every two years, as recommended.
Other screening tests that are recommended in a specific time frame are:
• Cholesterol – should be tested regularly after 35, but younger if there are other indicators.
• Colon cancer – screening via colonoscopy starts at the age of 50 unless there is a family history of the cancer.
• Diabetes – you should have the test if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
The most bothersome health trend physicians are seeing in the last five years is that our patients are becoming heavier and less active. The obesity epidemic isn’t just some elusive statistical story we all hear about on the nightly news. It is real and it contributes strongly to many of these top 10 health issues. There are many other conditions related to the obesity epidemic that didn’t make the top 10 such as depression and premature damage to joints.
As examples for our children and grandchildren, maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is paramount to getting the health of our country back on track. Taking ownership of your health is an empowering feeling. A person doesn’t have to become a body builder in order to reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle – by simply eating right and exercising a person can turn their health around for the better.
A helpful Web site that contains extensive information on all these topics, and is sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, is www.familydoctor.org.
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