Men aren’t big fans of regular medical check-ups, often putting their health at risk by waiting until symptoms present themselves before dragging themselves to the doctor’s office.
With June being
Men’s Health Month, health organisations are trying to raise awareness of the health risks facing the world’s male population and promoting check-ups before things go wrong.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the top seven threats to men’s health are: heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes and suicide.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women.
Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, a consultant cardiologist at the Heart Health Centre in Cayman, said: “One of the common mistakes that men make in regard to their health is ignoring the symptoms of heart disease – such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and palpitations, among others.
“Don’t be a ‘hero’ – bring any concerning symptoms to the attention of your physician before they become severe, and before any damage is done to your heart.”
He said one of the most important ways of preventing heart disease is to “know your risk”.
“Understand risk factors for heart disease, and be screened for those conditions in your doctor’s office so that you can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke in the future. Many conditions that increase the risk of heart disease – such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes, can be successfully controlled with a combination of lifestyle changes – healthy diet and physical activity – and medications,” Dr. Kosiborod said.
By not smoking, taking regular exercise, eating healthily and limiting alcohol intake, men – and women – can stave off heart disease.
Regular visits to the doctor is also the answer to detecting and surviving the most common type of cancer men get, prostate cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three most common cancers among men are prostate cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer.
Until Cayman’s Cancer Registry completes its data collection and compiling of statistics, there are currently no figures available locally on the number of men who battle cancer every year.
In the United States last year, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer and 32,050 deaths from the disease. In the US, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men will get prostate cancer in his lifetime and one in 36 will die of the disease.
Prostate cancer is one of those cancers that, if caught on time, need not be fatal. Deciding when to undergo screening depends on the individual, medical professionals advise.
The American Cancer Society does not recommend routine prostate cancer screening for all men, but suggests that men start talking to their doctors about the pros and cons of testing.
If a man chooses to be tested, the tests should include a prostate specific antigen blood test and digital rectal exam yearly, beginning at age 50, for men at average risk who can be expected to live at least 10 more years.
For men at higher risk, this discussion should take place starting at age 40-45. Men at high risk include African American men and men who have a close relative – father, brother, or son – who had prostate cancer before age 65.
Medical professionals stress the importance of knowing one’s family medical history. When it comes to cancer and other diseases, it can be a major factor. They advise that if someone in your family becomes ill with a disease, inform your own doctor. That information could go some way towards an early diagnosis and also prevention.
The top 4 diagnoses groups during the period January 2010-May 2011.
Cardiovascular:1185
Benign essential hypertension:962
A
trial fibrillation:73
Coronary atherosclerosis of unspecified type of vessel, native or graft:68
Chronic ischemic heart disease, unspecified:61
Congestive heart failure, unspecified:52
ENDOCRINE:984
Diabetes mellitus without mention of complication, type II or unspecified type, not stated as uncontrolled:516
Other and unspecified hyperlipidemia:357
P
ure hypercholesterolemia:126
Obesity, unspecified:103
Gout, unspecified:31
RESPIRATORY:867
Acute upper respiratory infections of unspecified site:293
Other diseases of respiratory system, not elsewhere classified:169
Acute sinusitis, unspecified:161
Acute pharyngitis:84
Other disease of nasal cavity and sinuses:49
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