National Men’s Health Month Should Be a Wake-up Call

SPRINGFIELD — It’s no secret that, when it comes to their health, men tend to lead less healthy lifestyles and shy away from visiting their doctor.

“Statistics show that men have poorer health outcomes than women and die earlier,” said Dr. Eric Lao of Baystate Medical Practices – West Side Adult Medicine.

June is National Men’s Health Month, designed to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.

“For both themselves and their families, men need to take charge of their health early on and partner with their primary-care provider so that they can remain free of disease and enjoy a long, healthy life,” said Lao.

It doesn’t take much to stay healthy. Men should exercise, eat a healthy diet and stay at a healthy weight, drink alcohol in moderation, avoid tobacco, get enough sleep, have all recommended screening tests done, and take preventive medicine if needed, he noted.

According to Lao, healthy men under age 40 who have no pre-existing conditions requiring routine monitoring should visit their primary-care physician every two to three years. After age 40, however, healthy men should begin visiting their doctor yearly, or more often if they have a chronic condition such as diabetes or hypertension.

Health concerns differ with age, Lao noted. Cancer, with the exception of testicular cancer (exams can be stopped after age 50), and heart disease are rare in young men. Special to this group, however, are serious health problems most often associated with a lack of safety precautions resulting in motor-vehicle and work-related injuries, as well as smoking, excessive drinking, and risky behavior.

Middle-aged men need to understand what modifiable risk factors they have for heart disease and reduce those risks, whether it means losing weight, working with their doctor to identify the best exercise for their age and condition, or taking medications to lower their cholesterol or blood pressure. Colon- and prostate-cancer screening begin at age 50 for most men, unless they have a family history of prostate cancer. In addition, they should have their cholesterol measured every three years even if it has been normal.

Older men have the same needs as middle-aged men and more. They often have at least one chronic condition that also needs to be managed, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, or heart disease. Older men also have more concerns about impaired eyesight and hearing.

There are also new guidelines recommending that individuals between 55 and 80 years old who are at high risk for lung cancer as a result of heavy smoking (defined as those who have smoked for more than 30 years at an average of one pack per day), receive an annual low-dose CT lung-cancer screening.

There is also new concern about hepatitis C, a serious viral infection which can result by coming into contact with an infected person’s blood. The concern is that people might have been infected by blood transfusions before 1992, when widespread screening of blood began.

Many people aren’t even aware that they have this serious condition, which can destroy their liver. The vast majority of adults living with hepatitis C are Baby Boomers. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all adults born during 1945 through 1965 should be tested. The CDC also recommends that other populations at increased risk for hepatitis C get tested.

A recommended maintenance schedule for men detailing checkup and screening guidelines can be found at menshealthnetwork.org.

Most doctors also recommend that patients create a checklist of questions to bring with them so they won’t forget any concerns they many want to discuss with their doctor. Also, because many men are procrastinators when it comes to their health, they shouldn’t wait until arriving at their physician’s office to hurriedly write their questions down, but instead give them some real thought beforehand.

For more information on Baystate Health and its many primary-care practices, visit baystatehealth.org.