Dear Dr. Dave & Dr. Dee, Someone at work was telling us about their cholesterol results and stated that getting that checked was important for men. What about women? Is getting cholesterol tested that important? Signed, Checking on Cholesterol Dear Checking on Cholesterol, Heart disease is the number killer for both men and women. Undesirable levels of cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis (plaques or fatty deposits in your arteries) which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. A simple blood test can determine the levels of cholesterol and if necessary, treatment (diet, exercise, medication) to control the cholesterol. However, a cholesterol test is one of many important health screenings for men to find problems in its early stages in order to improve the chances of successful treatment. In brief, are some health exams for men as outlined below by the Mayo Clinic. 8 IMPORTANT HEALTH EXAMS FOR MEN (www.MayoClinic.com) The Top 8 Exams: The following recommendations are general guidelines for screening procedures for healthy men. Your doctor may recommend a different screening schedule based on a variety of factors, particularly your health history, age and family medical history. 1. Blood Pressure: detects high blood pressure (blood flow resistance) that could lead to risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney damage. Recommended every 2 years. 2. Cholesterol: blood test which measures total cholesterol. Undesirable levels of cholesterols can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. Recommendation every 5 years over age 20 or more often if levels are abnormal. 3. Colon and Rectal Cancer: tests to examine your colon and rectum to detect colon polyps that may become cancerous or colon cancer before symptoms occur. Recommendation for higher level of risk for colorectal cancer: age 50 or older, or family or personal history of colorectal cancer or adenomatous polyps, or personal history of inflammatory bowel disease. Frequency of exam depend on type of procedure such as yearly fecal occult blood test (FOBT), flexible sigoidoscopy every 5 years, yearly FOBT plus flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, double-contrast barium enema every 5 years, or colonoscopy every 10 years. 4. Dental Checkup: dentist examines your teeth and gums in order to detect cavities within your teeth and problems with your gums, tongue and mouth. Recommendation: visit your dentist annually. 5. Diabetes: Fasting blood sugar test measures the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood after an eight-hour fast in order to detect risk of diabetes. Every 3 years age 45 or older or earlier and more frequently if at risk of diabetes. Also get tested if you have signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or slow-healing cuts or bruises. 6. Eye Health: ophthalmologist or optometrist checks your eye movement, peripheral vision, color vision and the sharpness (acuity) of your eyesight, and also views the inside of your eye using an instrument called an ophthalmoscope and, using a painless procedure called tonometry, measure the pressure inside your eyeball in order to determine whether you need glasses or contacts and to identify new vision problems such as glaucoma (increased pressure in your eye which can lead to vision loss), macular degeneration (deterioration of retinal cells which gradually decreases vision), or cataracts (clouding of the clear lens of your eye which blurs vision). Recommendation: once between the ages of 20 and 39, every 2 to 4 years between the ages of 40 and 64, and every one to two years after age 65. 7. Prostate Cancer: prostate cancer screening may include a digital rectal exam (DRE) or a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. During a DRE, your doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum, feels the prostate gland, and checks for any lumps or firmness in the prostate. The PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of a protein secreted by the prostate gland. Don't be alarmed if your doctor tells you that your prostate gland is enlarged. More than half the men older than age 50 have an enlarged prostate caused by a noncancerous condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Recommendation: yearly over age 50 or earlier if you are African American or have a family history of prostate cancer. 8. Weight: measure your height and weight to determine your BMI (Body Mass Index) in order to determine whether you're overweight or obese and to find out from your doctor whether your weight is a threat to your health. People who are overweight are more likely to have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and risk factors for other diseases. OTHER SCREENING TESTS These tests may or may not be part of routine medical exams. Your doctor may recommend them based on your signs and symptoms, risk factors, age and general health: 1. Blood Chemistry Test: measures substances such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and blood sugar, as well as liver enzymes, bilirubin and creatinine. A blood chemistry test can provide information about how well organs such as your liver and kidneys are working. It can also detect diabetes. 2. Chest X-ray: reveals the size and shape of your heart and the condition of your lungs, which can help your doctor detect heart or lung disease. Your doctor may recommend it as part of a health exam if you are short of breath, have a cough or chest pain, or if your doctor needs to see the size of your heart. 3. Complete Blood Count (CBC) with differential: measures hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood), hematocrit (percentage of blood volume made up of red blood cells), white blood cells (number and type), and platelets (number) in order to detect the presence of many conditions, including anemia, infections and leukemia. 4. Electrocardiogram (ECG): An ECG can detect abnormalities such as heart damage after a heart attack, an irregular heart rhythm or an enlarged heart. In certain instances your doctor may recommend it as part of a health exam - for instance, if you're at increased risk of heart disease or have a medical condition such as high blood pressure. 5. Hearing Test: physician checks your speech and sound recognition at various volume levels to check for hearing loss. Recommendation: every decade through age 50 and every 3 years after age 50. 6. Sexually Transmitted Disease Screening Tests: physical exam, culture swab, urine, tissue, or blood tests to detect infections spread by sexual contact (sexually transmitted diseases or STDs) such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), gonorrhea, genital herpes and chlamydia. If not treated, many of these diseases have serious, sometimes fatal, complications. Recommendations: Your doctor can determine whether you need STD screening tests based on your personal risk factors. Those who are at increased risk of infection include people who have had multiple sex partners, males who have sex with males, or injection drug users and their sex partners. 7. Skin examination: To check for skin cancer, your doctor examines your skin from head to toe, looking for moles that are irregularly shaped, have varied colors, are asymmetric, are greater than the size of a pencil eraser, or have grown or changed since your last visit. Recommendation: every 3 years if you're between the ages of 20 and 40 and every year if you're age 40 or older. 8. Testicular Examination: physician examination of your testicles for masses or any change in size, shape or consistency of the testes in order to detect testicular cancer, the most common malignancy in American men between the ages of 15 and 35. Recommendation: whenever you have a physical exam. Men of all ages, starting in the midteenage years, should examine their testicles monthly. 9. Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) test: blood test for levels of TSH, a hormone made by the pituitary gland in your brain, which stimulates your thyroid to produce the hormone thyroxine. A TSH test can detect whether your thyroid produces too little thyroxine (hypothyroidism) or too much (hyperthyroidism). 10. Transferrin Saturation Test: blood test measures the amount of iron bound to transferrin, an iron-carrying protein in your bloodstream in order to detect hemochromatosis, also called iron-overload disease, a condition in which your body absorbs too much iron. If left untreated, it can lead to diabetes, arthritis, heart disease or liver disease. Doctors don't regularly test for hemochromatosis, but talk with your doctor if you have a brother, sister, parent, child or other close relative with hemochromatosis or if you have one of the following conditions that can be caused by hemochromatosis: Joint disease, severe and continuing fatigue, heart disease, elevated liver enzymes, impotence, or diabetes. 11. Urinalysis: to find out what"s in your urine in order to reveal a medical problem. Sugar (glucose), for instance, suggests diabetes. White blood cells may indicate the presence of an infection. Red blood cells may signal a tumor or disorder of the kidneys, ureter or bladder. Elevated bilirubin may suggest liver disease. See "Health Screening Guidelines" and "Men's screening tests: What, why and how often?" at www.MayoClinic.com for more details about each health screening procedure. |
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| Health Examinations and Preventive Care |