There are many men around the globe who don’t care about their overall health. In fact they don’t undergo any sort of regular physicals to keep an eye on the health. But you should perform necessary health screening and tests to ensure that everything is fine. Continue reading this blog if you are curious to know which tests are necessary and at what age.
Undergo BMI check up
Over weight heightens the chance of heart disease and diabetes. BMI (Body Mass Index) check up looks for body fat on the basis of weight and height! It will let you know whether you are prone to obesity or already having one. As per medical expert, BMI must range within 18.5-25.
Perform cholesterol test
Once you are 35 you should start cholesterol check up once in every five years. It is better to commence the screening at 20 years of age if there are specific risk factors like:
- First degree relatives had heart attacks
- Stroke family history
- BMI about 30
- Smoking
- Diabetes
Doctor will withdraw blood sample from the hand. It will help in deriving the result of:
- Triglycerides
- LDL (bad cholesterol)
- HDL (good cholesterol)
Cholesterol measures in mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre). As per the expert, the normal range of total cholesterol is within 200mg/dL.
Check lipid profile
There is a link within metabolic syndrome and high triglycerides. As a result it heightens the risk of stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Phlebotomist will withdraw the blood for measuring cholesterol level. Same blood sample will reveal the count of any other fats and triglycerides as well. Optimally, it should remain under 100mg/dL. But it is normal upto 150mg/dL as well.
Blood pressure test
The people with high blood pressure need to control the level by taking proper medication. Otherwise, it wards off risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart disease. In case you have normal pressure then have a look on it once in every 2 years. The range of normal blood pressure is 120/80mm Hg.
Frequent check up becomes pivotal if your range is high than the said range. Two readings are necessary at an interval of 4 hours to diagnose the blood pressure. Once it measures higher than 120/80 mm Hg needs confirmation with follow-up checking.
Diabetes
If your blood pressure is about 135/80mm Hg then you are diabetic in most cases. Doctor will suggest diabetes test comprising of OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test), fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) and haemoglobin A1C blood test. Single test can’t make any relevance for diagnosing diabetes. Second test is essential for confirmation that glucose level in the blood is excessively high.
Colorectal cancer screening
Colon cancer is another culprit of death from cancer worldwide. Once you cross half century it is the right time to screen for colorectal cancer. But screening should start earlier if there is any previous case of colorectal cancer in the family.
Colonoscopy is completely painless completing within 15-20 minutes. Early detection will end up by complete treatment improving your quality of life. Only a doctor can figure out and remove the precancerous tissues prior they develop as malignant.
AAA screening
AAA results from enlarged vessels of blood in stomach rupturing suddenly. Generally, it possesses no symptoms and it ends up fatalic in 90% of cases. Fortunately, before rupturing an ultrasound can detect AAA effectively. This test is essential for men within 65-75 who smokes about 100 of cigarettes in the lifetime.
Mental health check
Although anxiety and depression is quite common in women it is not that men don’t suffer from any mental illness at all. In United States, a million of men diagnose with depression each year. Having no interest and feeling hopeless which are normally enjoyable for about 2 weeks is a sign of depression.
Never ignore prolong felling bouts if you find it tough to cope up with! Undergo depression screening and doctor will assist you throughout the treatment. Medication, therapy or combination of both can drag you out of the situation.
Skin cancer test
Melanoma is another common cancer type affecting thousands of people in United States every year. It is most common in men in contrary to that of women. Before 50 years of age most women suffer from melanoma than the men of that age. Within 65 years of age reverse is noticeable in the infection.
Men become highly prone to the cancer than that of women. By 80 years of age, men become vulnerable thrice to melanoma than that of women.
You should keep an eye on the moles to notice the change if any. Check the following to know what you should observe on the skin:
- On cutting the moles into halves vertically each of them are different
- There are irregular edges of moles
- Change in colour of mole and its surrounding areas
- Mole’s diameter is about 5mm
- Suddenly mole starts changing, bleeding and itching
Also look for the sores which won’t heal yet. Visit to the doctor to undergo skin check by including it in your regular physical. With early intervention, melanoma is easy to cure completely.
Other necessary tests
Prostate-specific antigen test comprises of numerous risks and they can outweigh its benefits as well. Due to obtaining false positive results, you have to undergo excessive unnecessary biopsies. Consult with the doctor is you are susceptible to prostate cancer. They will determine if digital rectal exam (DRE) is necessary or not to be in your physical exam.
Further discuss with the doctor if STI testing is essential for you or not. Accordingly you can contact at Health Screening Clinic and choose the right testing package suitable for you.
