When it comes to men’s health, it cannot be stressed enough how crucial regular checkups and exams are. There is a long list of diseases that are ready to strike at the slightest hint of weakness and vulnerability in your body, and they can cause major disruptions to your system and organ functions. To prevent this, it is a must to undergo routine health tests.
Below are highly recommended tests and screenings that men should partake in for health security and risk prevention:
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Prostate cancer screening
Are there traces of blood in your semen? Do you feel some kind of pain or discomfort in your pelvic region? Has urinating become harder for you?
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer common in men. It affects those that are older in age, have a history of prostate cancer in the family, and are overweight or obese. In its early stages, it is hard to detect because it does not trigger any signs at all. And, once it reaches the more advanced stages, it causes various symptoms that include urination problems, pelvic discomforts, blood in semen, and bone pain. If not diagnosed and treated right away, the cancer can spread to the bladder, bones, bloodstream, and nearby organs. It can also lead to erectile dysfunction, which can make sexual intercourse challenging.
There are different ways to test for prostate cancer. There is the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE), where your doctor will insert their gloved and lubricated finger inside your rectum to get a close look at your prostate. There is also the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) exam, where your blood sample is tested and analyzed for any abnormalities in the amount of PSA present. If the number is higher than the norm, it may signify inflammation, infection, or cancer in your prostate.
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Blood pressure test
Are you getting headaches more often than before? Do you experience nosebleeds or shortness of breath without even doing anything strenuous?
High blood pressure is a disease that builds up through the years. It is hard to detect early on because it has the ability to not trigger any visible symptoms for many years. It is very likely to affect older people, those who are overweight or obese, tobacco smokers, heavy alcohol drinkers, those with high stress levels, and couch potatoes. If not treated as soon as possible, it can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, aneurysm, dementia, and kidney problems. Therefore, to prevent it, you must live an active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet.
To determine your blood pressure, the equipment used is a pressure-measuring gauge that has a special kind of inflatable wrap-around for the arm. The reading will show the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure, which should be around 120/80 for someone who is fit and healthy. If your reading is higher, it means that you have high blood pressure. You can go to your doctor or buy your own home blood pressure monitor for regular blood pressure checks.
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Diabetes test
Are you noticing a continuous decline in your weight? Is your eyesight starting to deteriorate? Do your cuts and wounds take longer than usual to heal?
Diabetes is a medical condition that is linked to your body’s glucose levels. If you have excess sugar in your systems, you become diabetic and manifest various kinds of symptoms, such as extreme hunger and thirst, fatigue, drastic weight loss, different kinds of infections, and more frequent urination. And, if you fail to get diagnosed and treated right away, it may cause coronary artery disease, stroke, angina, heart attack, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye problems, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and hearing impairment.
To detect diabetes, there are various testing and screening processes involved. The Glycated hemoglobin test (A1C) is a type of blood test that measures your blood sugar levels. An A1C reading that is lower than 5.7 percent is the number that you have to aim for for a healthy body. Falling between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent indicates prediabetes, and anything higher than 6.5 percent means you have full-blown diabetes.
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Cholesterol test
Is your daily diet mainly composed of fatty and oily foods? Can’t you live without fried foods and fastfoods?
High cholesterol is a serious health risk that any man who consumes a lot of pork, beef, eggs, sweets, full-fat milk, and other foods high in saturated fat and trans fat should watch out for. It also is common among those that live a sedentary lifestyle and do not exercise, those that smoke cigarettes, and those that have high blood sugar levels and diabetes. If it is left untested and untreated, it can cause chest pains, heart attack, and stroke.
The best way to test your body’s cholesterol level is by taking a lipid profile test or lipid panel test. If you get a result of 200 mg/dL and below, you are safe. Otherwise, you have high cholesterol, and are advised to undergo treatment and make a major lifestyle change right away.
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Colon cancer screening
Has your constipation or diarrhea been going on for more than a month now? Is there blood in your stool? Do you feel exhausted or weak all the time?
In the onset of colon cancer, visible signs and symptoms may not manifest at all. Usually, they arise when the cancer has already moved on to the advanced stage and has affected a good portion of your large intestine. If you are obese, diabetic, a smoker, an alcoholic, or have a history of colon cancer in the family, you are at greater risk of suffering from it. Thus, a test is a must before things get worse.
To test for colon cancer, your doctor will tell you to undergo a series of blood exams to look for traces of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), which is a chemical produced and released to the bloodstream by colon cancers. You will also undergo colonoscopy, which uses a long, thin tube with a video camera that is inserted into the rectum and through the large intestine to get a good view of the lining of your colon.
