Getting regular health checkups helps detect diseases and shorten the time taken to treat them. Not taking care of your health problems at the right time can prolong them.
Key Points:
1.Keep your BMI in check.
2.Test for diseases as per your medical history, age, genetics and lifestyle.
3.Talking to your doctor about your health can give you insights on how, when and which health checkups you should not skip.
Here are the most important health checkups that every man should get:
1.BMI
BMI refers to body mass index that compares your weight and height to the standard healthy body weight for your height.
This helps you check if you are overweight or underweight. You don’t necessarily need to talk to your doctor to check your BMI as the charts are available on the internet.
You can measure your height and weight to check your BMI yourself. As per CDC, your BMI should be in the range of 18.5 to 25.
If you are obese, the risk of getting hypertension and diabetes goes up severely. Therefore, it is important to take care of your body weight and see a nutritionist to help you shed weight with good diet and exercise.
2.Cholesterol
To check the level of cholesterol, your doctor will order a lipid profile test that basically shows how much fat content you have in your blood. Fat in blood clogs arteries that can affect the pressure of blood in the arteries that may lead to hypertension.
Your risk of high cholesterol and numerous other diseases is higher if you have diabetes, are a smoker or have a family history of stroke or heart disease.
3.Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can lead to a myriad of problems such as risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and diabetes. The normal range of blood pressure is between 120 over 80 to 130 over 80.
If your blood pressure exceeds these numbers and this happens frequently you might be experiencing high blood pressure known as hypertension.
Getting your blood pressure monitored from time to time can help you check if you have blood pressure. Symptoms of high blood pressure are:
●Headache
●Chest pain
●Dizziness
●Nausea
●Vomiting
●Anxiety
●Blurred Vision
4.Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that can start as early as 4 years of age. It occurs when your pancreas do not create enough insulin that is needed by your body to use the sugar entering the body.
Most men can go on for years without knowing they have diabetes until they test for diabetes.
However, the risk of diabetes increases in men over the age of 20 and doubles over the age of 40. Your risk of getting diabetes is significantly higher due to your genetics, overweight, environment, and family’s medical history.
To test for diabetes your healthcare provider will run a glucose blood test. You’ll have to make important life changes and eat a diet low in sugar to help maintain the required levels of sugar.
5.Colorectal Cancer
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of death in both American men and women. If you have a family history of cancer, especially colon cancer, you should get tested by your healthcare provider for the disease.
Although most patients diagnosed with colon cancer were over the age of 50, colon cancer can affect you at any age.
To check for colon cancer, there are several tests that your doctor can perform but one of the most common ones is colonoscopy that is painless and takes around 20 minutes.
Oftentimes, precancerous growths can exist in your colon that can become cancerous. Therefore their early removal is better.
Don’t worry; a colonoscopy is painless and takes only 15 to 20 minutes. Even better, this test can detect colon cancer early, when it’s most treatable. Your doctor can find and remove precancerous growths before they become malignant.
6.Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm also known as Triple A is a medical emergency that occurs when an enlarged blood vessel ruptures. It can be fatal in 80-90% of the cases therefore it is better to prevent medical emergencies.
There are little to no symptoms of AAA. You might experience some back pain or discomfort in your belly.
Ultrasound can detect the enlarged blood vessels that can help you prevent AAA through early diagnosis. Men who smoked during their life and are older are at higher risk of AAA.
7.Melanoma
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins due to skin exposure to sun. Luckily a skin exam at your healthcare provider is enough to check for melanoma.
The healthcare provider will carefully examine your birthmarks, moles and dark spots to check for abnormal size, color, discoloration etc.
Early treatment can help avoid the risk of death due to melanoma. Therefor you should check your skin for abnormal changes and report them to your doctor right away. Here is how you can check your skin:
1.Look at the symmetry of the mole of dark spot. If it is cut in half vertically or diagonally, it is abnormal.
2.The mole’s edges are irregular.
3.Changes in color exist around the area of the mole
4.Mole is larger than the size of a pencil’s eraser
5.Mole is itchy, bleeding or filled with fluid
8.Mental Health
As per WHO, approximately 970 million people suffer from mental health problems globally.
Mental health is one of the most vexing issues of our times. Everyone experiences stress in their daily routine. But it is important to keep the level of stress in check.
You might find yourself constantly worried about your job, health, finances, family and routine. If you have been feeling irritated or stressed about your situation on a regular basis or it is affecting your sleep, you should see your therapist.
Other Tests and Health Checkups
The health tests that you should be taking depend on your family’s medical history, your medical history and environment. Talk to your doctor about your risks of different diseases based on these factors.
Your doctor might order screening for cancer, infectious diseases and illnesses that might affect you based on your lifestyle.
