You’re not alone if you lack a reliable healthcare provider or if you’ve never gotten your cholesterol examined. A study found that approximately 26% of American men don’t have an established source of healthcare.
Learn how to buck this trend by getting regular health checkups and screenings to stay healthy by reading on.
Checking yourself first
Your chance of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes rises when you are overweight. Your body mass index (BMI), which calculates your body fat percentage based on your weight and height, can help you identify whether you’re overweight or at risk of becoming obese. An adult BMI from 18.5 to 25 is considered to be within the normal range.
All adults over the age of 35 should have their cholesterol examined every five years, according to the American Heart Association. If you possess specific risk factors, such as those listed below, screening should start around age 20.
- Smoking
- BMI over 30
- Stroke history in family
- First-degree relatives with cardiovascular diseases
- Diabetes
Your physician will take a tiny blood sample from your arm to determine your cholesterol levels. The outcomes show your levels of:
- Good cholesterol, or HDL
- Bad cholesterol, LDL
- Triglycerides
Check your lipids
The metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke, is linked to high triglycerides. A readout of your triglycerides, a kind of fat, is provided from the same blood sample used to evaluate your cholesterol. Although levels under 150 mg/dL are regarded as normal, an ideal triglyceride level is lower than 100 mg/dL.
Diabetes
Diabetes may be indicated by blood pressure that is greater than 135/80 mm Hg. A fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and a hemoglobin A1C blood test are all options for diagnosing diabetes. Diabetes cannot be diagnosed with just one test. Your blood glucose level must be confirmed by a second test as being abnormally high.
Monitor your blood pressure regularly
If you have high blood pressure, you might need to take medicine to manage it and prevent heart disease, renal disease, and a stroke. Only every two years should your blood pressure be monitored if it falls within the usual range. An established source states that a normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mm Hg.
Your doctor will likely want to monitor your blood pressure more regularly if it is higher. Two measurements that are more than 120/80 mm Hg and obtained four hours apart are necessary to determine the cause of high blood pressure. A subsequent blood pressure reading higher than 120/80 mm Hg must always be confirmed.
Put away your stiff upper lip
Although it affects women more frequently than it does males, depression can also affect men. Over 6 million males receive depression diagnoses each year in the United States, according to research. A longer-than-normal period of feeling hopeless or losing interest in activities you usually enjoy may be signs of depression.
Don’t try to brazen it out or ignore persistent depressive episodes. Your doctor can do a depression check on you and help decide how to manage it. A combination of therapy and health test or both may be beneficial.
Avoid blowing a gasket
A swollen blood artery in the stomach that abruptly bursts is what causes an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). A recent study found that AAAs frequently show no symptoms and are deadly in up to 90% of cases.
The bright side is that a pre-rupture AAA can be found using an ultrasound. It is recommended that men aged 65 to 75 who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetime go for a screening.
Keep your hide safe
Melanoma cases have grown more quickly than any other type of cancer over the past 40 years in the United States. Since 1973, the total number of cases has increased. Today, melanoma ranks as the sixth most frequent cancer in men. Before the age of 50, women are more likely than men to develop melanoma; however, by the age of 65, the ratio is reversed. Then, men are twice as likely to develop melanoma as women are. Men have three times as many cases of melanoma as women do by the age of 80.
Every month, check your skin for moles that have transformed or seem out of the ordinary. The ABCDEs of melanoma serve to assist you remember what to do.
A. Asymmetry: The mole’s two sides are not identical if it is divided in half vertically.
B. Border: The mole’s edges are crooked.
C. Colour: The mole’s or its surroundings’ color has changed.
D. Diameter: The mole’s diameter is greater than 5mm.
E. Everything: The mole begins to feel itchy, bleed, or alter in any way.
Additionally, watch out for sores that won’t heal. As part of your physical, ask your doctor to thoroughly examine your skin. When discovered early, melanoma is very treatable.
One of the valuable things a man can do for his well-being is to have the appropriate screening test at the appropriate time. They help examine you, and it’s best to learn right away whether you have a condition so that you may begin managing it. Based on your age and other criteria, your doctor may recommend you to take certain other tests.
About The Author
Michelle Joe
Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on twitter
