Men’s Health Week

In the week leading up to Father’s Day, Men’s Health Week encourages boys, men, and their families to check in with their health.

In addition to encouraging overall health and well-being, Men’s Health Week encourages screening for common diseases among men that can be prevented, treated and/or cured if caught early. Here we outline some important screenings to schedule, disease prevention tips, and health concerns to discuss with your doctor.

Kidney Health

Your kidneys perform many critical functions in your body. They help remove waste and excess fluid removal, filter the blood, and help regulate blood pressure and the amount of certain nutrients in the body.1 When your kidneys start to lose function, you may be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD can be caused by diabetes and high blood pressure, among other disorders. Loss of kidney function can lead to kidney failure, which requires either dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.2 1 in 3 adults are at risk for kidney disease. Though women are more likely to develop kidney disease, kidney failure is more common in men.3

By exercising regularly, controlling your weight, eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, not smoking, and limiting alcohol, you can help keep your kidneys healthy. Early detection of kidney disease is also key. Be sure to get your annual medical exams. Discuss your kidney disease risk with your doctor in order for them to determine any necessary tests or additional screening/treatment measures.3

Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson are on the rise.4 While each neurological condition has its own set of characterizing symptoms, common symptoms include:

  • Sudden onset of headaches
  • Muscle weakness
  • Loss of feeling and tingling
  • Double vision
  • Lack of coordination

If you are having any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor. While there is no cure for many neurological disorders, early diagnosis, treatment, and self care can often keep symptoms manageable and slow disease progression.

Autoimmune Disorders

It’s estimated that roughly 8% of people in the U.S. have an autoimmune disorder.5 Autoimmune disorders happen when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in your body. This causes inflammation in the body, though the symptoms can look different depending on the type of autoimmune disorder. Affecting up to 1% of the U.S. population6, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune disorders that causes inflammation in joints such as hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles, and knees.

Similar to neurological disorders, there is often no cure for autoimmune disorders. However, early diagnosis, treatment, and self care may help slow disease progression while supporting a more active lifestyle. Schedule an appointment with your doctor if you’re experiencing symptoms of inflammation including joint pain, swelling in parts of the body, skin rashes, and/or fevers that come and go.

Heart Disease Prevention

The leading cause of death for men in the U.S. is heart disease.7 Symptoms include chest pain, tightness, and/or pressure; shortness of breath; pain, numbness, weakness, and/or coldness in legs and/or arms; and pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen, and/or back. Men are more likely than women to have chest pain.8 Sometimes heart disease isn’t diagnosed until it’s too late. Diabetes, being overweight, a poor diet, not exercising, and excessive alcohol consumption all increase the risk for heart disease.7 To help prevent heart disease and its complications, get your routine medical exams. Know your blood pressure, and ask your doctor if you should be tested for diabetes. Make healthy diet choices, exercise, limit alcohol consumption, and find healthy ways to lower your stress levels.7

Cancer Screenings & Prevention

Many of the most common types of cancer diagnoses for men are treatable and curable if caught early.

Skin cancer. Schedule a ‘skin check’ with a dermatologist, and follow their recommendations for the frequency of followup visits.9

Prostate cancer. Blood tests and certain types of exams can detect prostate cancer before symptoms appear.10 According to the American Cancer Society, the discussion about screening should take place at age 50 for men at average risk, age 45 for men at high risk—including African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed at age 65 or younger, or age 40 with two or more first-degree relatives diagnosed at age 65 or younger.11

Colorectal cancer. Colonoscopies allow doctors to see and remove polyps that can lead to cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that regular colorectal cancer screenings begin at age 45, unless you are at a higher risk due to a personal history of colorectal cancer and polyps, a family history, IBD, and/or previous radiation.12

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DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. All information, content, and material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider or as legal advice. Please consult a physician or other health care professional for your specific health care and/or medical needs or concerns and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here or on our website.

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References

  1. National Kidney Foundation. How Your Kidneys Work. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/howkidneysw

  2. National Kidney Foundation. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Symptoms and Causes. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/about-chronic-kidney-disease

  3. National Kidney Foundation. Fast Facts. https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/fsindex#:~:text=1%20in%203%20adults%20in,)%2C%203%20men's%20kidneys%20fail.

  4. Borumandnia, N., Majd, H. A., Doosti, H., & Olazadeh, K. (2022). The trend analysis of neurological disorders as major causes of death and disability according to human development, 1990-2019. Environmental science and pollution research international, 29(10), 14348–14354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16604-5

  5. Mayer, M. (2022). Autoimmunity on the Rise. Global Autoimmune Institute. https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/articles/about-autoimmune/autoimmunity-on-the-rise/#

  6. Haghighi, A. S. (2022). How Common is Rheumatoid Arthritis? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/rheumatoid-arthritis-prevalence#how-common-is-ra

  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Men and Heart Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/men.htm

  8. Mayo Clinic. Heart Disease. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118

  9. Banner health. Skin Cancer: Men Vs. Women. https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/teach-me/skin-cancer-men-vs-women#:~:text=Compared%20to%20women%2C%20men%20are,more%20likely%20to%20develop%20it.

  10. American Cancer Society. Can Prostate Cancer Be Found Early? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html

  11. American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Recommendations for Prostate Cancer Early Detection. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/acs-recommendations.html#:~:text=The%20discussion%20about%20screening%20should,risk%20of%20developing%20prostate%20cancer

  12. American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Guideline for Colorectal Cancer Screening. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/acs-recommendations.html

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