Essential health screenings every man needs

Few of us love going to doctor’s appointments, especially men. Men get busy putting their priorities on other aspects of their life - getting an annual checkup often takes a backset to their work, family or social life. For some men, they may just stop going all together.

A recent study found that only 8 percent of adults over the age of 35 get high-priority, preventative screenings. In fact, a survey from the American Academy of Family Physicians found that 55% of men had not seen their doctor for a physical exam in the previous year even though 40% had at least one chronic condition.  As a man ages, it puts him at a higher risk for serious health conditions. Whether they chalk it up to being invincible or maybe plain stubborn, men do develop chronic health conditions.  Maybe they’ve noticed a major change in their energy levels or overnight their vision seems to have become more blurry.  Without regular routine health screenings, a man could be missing out on catching a problem early before it becomes a major health threat.

Ideally, no one should let noticeable physical or mental health changes overtake their lives ruining their health.  This is why routine screening tests are important and not to put off.   There can be conditions a person may have that if caught early, can be treated and corrected so a person can get on with their life. 

Many diseases may not manifest themselves in any symptoms until they are fairly well-advanced.  Screening tests are just that – they screen to see if you have a condition or are at risk of developing one.  If something is found, then appropriate medical action can be taken.  If nothing is found, a man can breathe a sigh of relief continuing to take good care of himself until the next routine screening is done.

Here are important screening tests all men should discuss with their doctor to see which ones are important for him to do routinely:

1.  Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is where the wall of the aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the body, has stretched and is bulging.  It if bursts, it can cause serious bleeding quickly leading to a person’s death.

A doctor may recommend a screening test for this if a man is between the ages of 65 to 75 and has ever smoked or is at least 60 years old and has a first-degree relative (father or brother) who has had an aneurysm.

2.  Blood Pressure Testing

If a man has had normal blood pressure (120/80 or lower), he can be tested at least every two years.  If it has been elevated or he is at an increased risk for a heart attack, stroke, or diabetes, he should have it tested yearly.

3.  Cholesterol test

Every five years a man should have a blood test to check his cholesterol unless he has risk factors for heart disease in which his doctor may want him to have it checked more frequently.

4.  Colorectal screening

Starting at age 50, a man should be tested for the risk of colon cancer unless he has a family history, then he should start colorectal screenings even earlier.  There are 3 ways to check this – one is an annual fecal occult blood test; a second is to do a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years; or third, to do a colonoscopy every 10 years.

5.  Diabetes screening

All men between ages 40 to 70 who are overweight to obese, who have a family history of diabetes, or have risk factors for heart disease or has high blood pressure (higher than 135/80), should be tested.

6.  Hepatitis B virus testing

Any man who has had unprotected sex with multiple partners, shared needles during intravenous drug use, has sex with men, is exposed regularly to human blood, lives with someone who has chronic hepatitis B, or travels to areas with high rates of hepatitis B virus infection should be tested routinely.

7.  Hepatitis C virus testing

Any man who had a blood transfusion or received a transplanted organ before June 1992, or is a healthcare worker who has been stuck by a needle, or has ever used injected drugs, is at an increased risk for this virus and should be tested regularly.

8.  Lung cancer screening

Men who are or ever were smokers should be screened annually for lung cancer.  A low-dose CT scan can be used in adults ages 55 to 80 years old. 

9.  Prostate specific antigen (PSA) test

Beginning at age 40, all men should have their first baseline PSA test conducted.  Depending on the results, his doctor can determine how frequently a man should be tested thereafter.

10.  Sexually transmitted infection tests

Men who are having or have had unprotected sex with anyone who they do not know of their health history should be regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

11.  Screening for healthy body weight

All men should have their weight and height checked at least every two years to determine their body mass index (BMI).