Health Screening for man

Most men believe that the time to see the doctor is only when they are ill. Nothing could be further from the truth. Men need to see their doctor regularly for checkups, especially beginning by age 40 years of age. They need routine health assessments in order to protect them from getting chronic diseases. So what are the specific screening tests a man should have evaluated?

Men should have their cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides evaluated beginning at age 40 and continuing every 5 years or so throughout their life. They need this as a screening measure for atherosclerosis, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. Men with a father or brother who have heart disease should be evaluated earlier and may need a stress test of their heart after age 40 to rule out the presence of heart disease.

Men should have their blood pressure checked, certainly after the age of 40 and preferably earlier than that if they have a family history of heart disease in other family members. Blood pressure elevations can be easily controlled with lifestyle changes and medications, which can lower the risk of heart disease.

Men should have screening tests for diabetes, sooner than age 40 if they are obese and after age 40 if they are of normal weight. Family history for heart disease or diabetes is important so screening for diabetes should be earlier if there is a strong family history for the disease. The best screening test is a fasting blood sugar, which should be about 100 mg/dL or a Hemoglobin A1C, which should be less than 6.0.

Men need prostate screening but not until later in life. At about 50, they should have a digital rectal examination, which can show if there are cancerous nodules in the prostate gland. Some doctors prefer to check a PSA examination, which is a measure of the prostate specific antigen, but it really has a great rate for false positives and false negatives so it is not overall recommended.

Men should have osteoporosis screening. The test is done using a bone density scan, called a DEXA scan. The scan measures the bone density of the wrist, spine and hip. Men need to be tested about age 65.

Men also need to have a BMI or body mass index to check for obesity. This and other tests can show a man’s risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes. This test should be done at around age 40 and above.