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| Health checks - when they are needed |
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Written by Colin Brennan, medical journalist
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| Men who start good health habits in their youth will be
forever grateful to themselves later in life. |
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Illness, weakness, disability and death are for the old. The
young with their sleek, strong, naturally fit bodies don't need to bother
themselves about health for a long time yet. Real men don't need to rush
into neuroticism. They may as well enjoy themselves while they can and worry
about the future later. Right or wrong?
Unfortunately, this isn't entirely right and it isn't
entirely wrong. A man's body can put up with an astonishing amount of
abuse. Often, drinking, smoking and eating badly won't begin to take its
toll until after the age of 40.
Health checks in the 20s and 30s will not save many lives.
Wearing a condom for casual sex and driving carefully with a seatbelt and
airbags will offer more protection against an early death.
However, this doesn't mean that young men should think of
themselves as invincible. For one thing, they don't all have the bodies of
footballers, pop stars or ballet dancers. Good health is about much more than
just staying alive. It is about staying active and enjoying life.
Men who start good habits in their youth will be forever
grateful to themselves later in life. They will begin to see the effects of
smoking, over-drinking, lack of exercise and junk food in their contemporaries.
If they have kept out of the sun and looked after their teeth, they will look
even better.
What should be done about health checks?
However robust and fit a man was as a youngster, time will
catch up on him. As he gets older, he will need to take steps to make sure he
doesn't allow his health to deteriorate unnecessarily. The following is a
guide to what action should be taken.
During the 20s and 30s
Most doctors agree that health checks for young men are not
really necessary. However, they do have a valuable educational effect: having a
check-up does make the point that health is something to be prized and not
taken for granted. Recent research has also shown that the males under 40 years
of age who are least likely to have check-ups are the ones who would most
benefit from them.
Testicular
self-examination is important in this age group as cancer of the
testicles is more common than among middle-aged men. It can almost always be
cured, particularly if diagnosed early, but some young men find it particularly
difficult to seek help for lumps in this area.
Cholesterol levels should be measured, particularly if there
is a family history of this symptomless problem. The current recommended level
is 5 mmol/l or below.
Health in the 40s
This is the period when men tend to become more aware of the
aging process. Although grey hair or even baldness may be suggesting that
immortality isn't an option, it is a time where most of us stay healthy.
Accident and murder are still the most common causes of death for 40-year-old
men. At this period of their lives, smokers can bring on cancer and heart
attacks, while heavy drinkers run the risk of liver and digestive
problems.
During the 40s, there is no doubt that there is no greater
health priority for a smoker than giving up. Non-smokers will increase their
life expectancy by sticking to safe sex, driving carefully, exercising and
watching their diet. But smokers need to give up before they can look forward
to these benefits.
Men who go in for a full medical 'MoT' test will be
given lots of X-rays, examinations and other tests, but the only one that is
really necessary at this age is a rectal examination. This is because prostate
cancer - detectable with a rectal examination - is the leading fatal cancer in
non-smoking men in their 40s. The other tests often show up many small
abnormalities that have no significance.
Health in the 50s
Routine health checks become more significant for men in their
50s. Men become more concerned about developing diseases. They are increasingly
set in their ways and less likely to die through violence, or have unprotected
sex.
Dr Ian Banks, a GP and the Royal Society of Medicine's
spokesperson for men's health, told NetDoctor: 'Men should have a
prostate test when they turn 50-plus whether they have symptoms or not.
Research is increasingly showing that the early diagnosis of problems is
associated with a better outcome. Although more evidence is needed, we already
know enough to justify the test, which should be repeated at least every two
years,' he said.
Another test that becomes necessary after the age of 50 is a
sigmoidoscopy. This involves examining the rectum for colon cancer by using a
camera fitted on a flexible tube. It is now recommended that this test be
repeated every five years, especially if there is a family history of cancer of
the large bowel in immediate relatives such as a parent.
Health checks for the older man
Men in their 60s and 70s are advised to have an annual
urinalysis. This is a test involving a strip that, when dipped in urine, can
reveal a number of conditions including diabetes and urinary tract
cancer.
As a man gets older, the chances of him succumbing to an
illness are greatly increased. Warning signs should now be acted on fast.
Therefore, a good relationship with your doctor is essential.
Dr Steven Boorman, principal adviser to the Post Office's
Employee Health Services, said: 'An annual MoT for men is a good idea. It
allows men to develop a relationship with a doctor that they consider to be
safe. Trust builds up so that the man will return year after year. But they
don't want to be given every test under the sun and made to feel that
every day could be their last.'
Men don't respond to generalities about good living
unless they can relate directly to it. As BUPA's medical director, Dr
Andrew Vallance-Owen, put it: 'Tell a man that eating five pieces of fruit
and vegetables a day is good for him and he will nod in agreement and do
nothing about it. But tell him it will result in great sex and he will develop
a passion for the fruit bowl.'
According to BUPA's research, the male view of good
health is being fit, feeling great, being active with lots of energy and a good
sex life. Men want to feel either well or ill, with no shades in between. When
they do get sick they want to be fixed just like they have their car fixed,
with no messing about. They don't want to go in for medical checks and
procedures just for the sake of it and many doctors are beginning to agree with
them.
Although men are often blamed for neglecting their medical
care or leaving it entirely in the hands of their wives, there is in this case
a definite logic to their position. Health checks clearly have a useful
function, but if they are not going to prevent illness or prolong life, why
bother with them?
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Last updated 04.01.2005
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