10 Most Common Health Issues in Men
Men face many unique health issues throughout their lives. Unfortunately, they often neglect getting regular medical checks due to lack of awareness, poor education and unhealthy work and personal lifestyle choices; which lead to a steady decrease in overall wellbeing.
However, many of these health conditions are preventable with healthy habits like diet, exercise, smoking cessation, stress reduction and regular screenings.
1. Heart Disease
Your heart pumps millions of gallons of blood every day to supply oxygen and nutrients to every cell, tissue and organ in your body – while simultaneously clearing away waste products generated through metabolism. However, when this essential source of fuel cannot reach its destination – your life could be at stake.
Atherosclerosis refers to the gradual build-up of fatty deposits (plaque) in your heart arteries that supply it with blood, often called atherosclerosis. Other conditions are congenital; for instance septal abnormalities – holes that separate left from right sides of heart chambers – often develop during gestation or while still developing inside your mother’s womb.
Men may live shorter lives than women; however, they can often avoid or treat health issues through regular wellness appointments with their primary care physician. By making healthy lifestyle choices and addressing potential issues early on, men can significantly lower their risk for serious conditions like heart disease.
2. Diabetes
Men have an increased risk of diabetes due to factors including their size, unhealthy work and home habits, and inactivity.
Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar, more commonly referred to as glucose, levels become abnormally high. Our cells normally use this energy source from food we eat; however, when diabetes hinders its production or use properly it stays in our blood and can’t get into our cells where energy needs may lie.
High glucose levels can damage the blood vessels that support our tissues and organs, leading to nerve damage (neuropathy) that causes tingling or pain; kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy); or even blindness.
3. Stroke
Strokes occur when an artery that delivers oxygen-rich blood to your brain bursts or becomes blocked by a blood clot, disrupting oxygen delivery to key regions such as movement, speech, and vision. They can damage parts of your brain that control bodily movement as well as speech production and vision perception.
Hemorrhagic strokes typically affect large blood vessels like your aortic, common carotid, or vertebral arteries, though they can also occur within your brain itself, either within its tissue (intracerebral hemorrhage) or between layers of your skull (subarachnoid hemorrhage).
One in four people will suffer a stroke by age 85; those living with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or Type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of having one. When symptoms such as facial drooping or arm weakness emerge as warning signals, call 911 immediately!
4. Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) can occur for many reasons and stems from numerous health conditions, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high blood pressure and diabetes; certain medications; nerve damage sustained from injury or surgery in the pelvic region; benign prostatic hyperplasia in men’s prostates and radiation therapy to treat bladder or prostate cancers are among these causes.
Men who suffer from ED should seek professional evaluation in order to identify its underlying cause and discuss potential treatment options, including medication and sex therapy counseling. Psychological factors, including feelings of anxiety or fear about sexual functions or responses, may play a part in this condition, which sex therapy counseling can address as well as hormone replacement therapy where necessary and in rare instances injections to stimulate an erection may also be available as possible solutions.
5. Obesity
Men are especially vulnerable to obesity, which occurs when their bodies possess excess fat. A good way to assess body fat in men is calculating their Body Mass Index (BMI), which takes into account height and weight data.
High BMIs can increase the risk of several health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Other risk factors for obesity may include smoking, eating too many saturated and trans fats and inactivity.
Other health complications linked to obesity include back pain, infertility and a decreased immune system. Regular medical checkups, eating healthily and engaging in physical activity regularly are proven methods for combatting obesity; additionally it’s wise to avoid unhealthy habits like excessive drinking and smoking as part of this plan.
6. Cancer
Body cells constantly divide and replace themselves as needed; when this cycle becomes disrupted, cancer may develop.
Cancer is an umbrella term encompassing over 100 diseases which arise when abnormal cells begin to proliferate uncontrollably and form tumors or masses, sometimes malignant but occasionally benign. Cancers may also be called neoplasms.
Cancer prevention begins by eating healthily, staying physically active, not smoking and receiving regular screenings for skin, prostate and lung cancers. Other methods may be useful such as testicular and genital vaccines against HPV virus as these mutations often form because of lifestyle choices, genetic inheritance or exposure to carcinogens.
7. Mental Health Issues
Mental health conditions affect men just as they do women, yet mental health problems tend to be overlooked and taken less seriously by men due to various factors – gender stereotypes among them – which makes seeking and receiving treatment for mental illness harder for them than it would be for their counterparts.
An assortment of factors can lead to mental illness among men, including relationship difficulties; stress and pressure at work or home; unhealthy coping behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse; societal expectations they should be strong, stoic and independent; as well as symptoms which resemble physical ailments that make diagnosis even harder.
Mental health conditions can often be treated successfully; one way of getting help is through talking it over with trusted friends or therapists – especially since mental illness can have severe and often lethal repercussions.
8. STIs & STDs
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by various bacterial germs that can spread during vaginal, oral and anal sex without using a condom or latex/polyurethane barrier. Left untreated, untreated STIs may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancies, aortic aneurysms and ovarian cysts – with female infected individuals being particularly at risk of infecting newborns with conditions such as syphilis or chorioamnionitis during delivery process.
Many Sexually Transmitted Infections can be prevented with regular testing and safe sex practices, including consultations with trained medical professionals for advice. Colleges also provide confidential STI screenings with free condoms or other safe sex supplies, which is also an early treatment option available with antibiotics; untreated STIs can lead to long-term health problems including infertility, chronic pelvic pain and cancer; however all STIs start as infections but only some progress into diseases like Genital Warts or Cervical Cancer.
9. Skin Cancer
Skin cancer, the most prevalent form of cancer, is caused by abnormal cell growths that disrupt normal function. Without early treatment, it can become fatal. Two of the most prevalent forms are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – both typically appearing on areas exposed to sun such as head and neck areas.
Melanoma, which affects cells that determine your skin color, is another type of skin cancer. It tends to affect people with fair skin who have had excessive sun exposure as well as those who have had family history of the condition or were at greater risk before.
Men should conduct regular self-exams of their skin to detect new spots and any changes to existing moles. If a spot or mole appears that appears different in shape, size, or color than usual, make an appointment with a physician immediately.
10. Cancer Screening
Screening tests are used to detect cancer early. These can include physical exams, blood and urine tests, imaging (mammogram or MRI), as well as procedures that obtain tissue samples (biopsy).
Early cancer screening has been proven to reduce mortality rates, yet not all screening tests are useful and most pose potential risks.
Screening may result in false-positive test results (a positive result when there is no cancer present), which may require further tests and procedures, with associated risks, as well as increased anxiety or delays seeking medical care upon symptoms appearing – known as lead-time bias. To lower your risk of disease and ensure timely medical intervention when symptoms present themselves, the best strategy is practicing good health habits and getting regular screening tests at affordable costs for everyone who requires them.