Top Health Threats to Men

Top Health Threats to Men

Generally, women tend to be healthier and live longer than men, with more men suffering from the 15 top causes of death.

Though biology plays a role in men’s health issues, your approach to health also plays a crucial role in your health status. For instance, research has shown that men’s doctor visits are fewer. They are also more likely to have a serious health condition when they eventually see a doctor.

You may be strong, but you’re not invincible. So, even if you feel healthy now, you need to make appropriate lifestyle choices and plans to help you live a long and healthy life.

Below are some top threats to your health as a man and what you can do to minimize your risk:

Cardiovascular Disease

According to the American Heart Association, more than 1 in 3 adult men have cardiovascular disease. The disease occurs as a result of the hardening of your arteries, known as atherosclerosis. If it is not detected early enough, it can lead to severe and often fatal complications, including heart attack and stroke.

When you have cardiovascular disease, cholesterol plaques gradually accumulate and block your heart and brain arteries. If this accumulation becomes unstable, it can trigger the formation of a blot clot, which blocks your arteries and eventually cause a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular diseases.

Men’s arteries develop atherosclerosis earlier than women’s arteries. Even in adolescence, girls usually have healthier arteries than boys. Experts believe this could be due, in part, to women having naturally higher good cholesterol (HDL) levels. This occurrence puts men at a higher risk of early death than women. So, you have to put in extra effort to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Some helpful tips include:

• Check your cholesterol levels every 5 years once you hit 25 years.
• If your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are high, seek help from an expert to get them under control.
• Smoking cessation if you currently smoke.
• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week.
• Stick to a healthy diet that is rich in Consume fruits and vegetables with minimal saturated fats.

Depression and High Suicide Risk

Depression is more than a rough patch or bad mood. It is an emotional disturbance that impairs your overall health. When you’re depressed, your brain chemicals and stress hormones go out of balance, which significantly impairs your overall well-being.

According to the National Institute of Health, about 6 million men suffer from depressive disorders, including suicidal thoughts, every year. Studies even show an association between depression in men and a higher risk of heart disease.

Unfortunately, men usually hide their feelings and are less likely to seek help. This usually results in tragic outcomes. Because even though more women attempt suicide, more men are successful at eventually taking their own lives.

On the bright side, most men respond to antidepressant medications, therapy, or both. So, you shouldn’t hesitate to seek help if you think you might be depressed. The following tips can help you deal with depression:

• Seek professional help from your healthcare provider.
• Open communication with close friends and family members.
• Keeping a journal.
• Regular physical activity. It can be as simple as a walk around your neighborhood.

If you think someone might be at risk of harming themselves or another person:

• Call your local emergency number.
• Stay with them until help arrives.
• Remove things that may cause harm, like guns, knives, and medications.
• Listen without judging, arguing, or yelling.

Respiratory Diseases; Including Lung Cancer and COPD

A lot of these diseases often start with a seemingly harmless cough. But this can lead to more severe and life-threatening problems, like lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema. All of which can impair your quality of life.

According to the American Lung Association, the prevalence of lung cancer in men is rising, with more cases being diagnosed compared to a decade ago. Lung cancer is a devastating disease that is almost always aggressive. It also spreads very early, even before it is big enough to be seen on X-ray or show symptoms. So, at the time of diagnosis, it is usually advanced and almost impossible to cure. Less than 50% of diagnosed men live through the following year.

Though occupational hazards, like asbestos exposure, increase your risk of developing respiratory disease, smoking is still the leading cause of lung cancer. So, if you have smoked for more than 2 decades, you should talk to your doctor about screening for lung cancer and other respiratory diseases before it is too late. You should also plan to quit smoking as soon as possible.

Prostate Cancer

Your prostate is a gland behind your penis that secrets some essential ejaculation fluids. This gland is at a higher risk of health problems as you grow older. One of such problems is prostate cancer.

Surveys show that prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, with 1 in 6 men diagnosed in their lifetime.

As with any type of cancer, early detection is crucial for survival. Hence, you should regularly discuss your risk factors with your doctor and screen for prostate cancer by getting a rectal examination and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes causes your blood sugar level to rise and usually shows no symptoms when it starts. But as your blood sugar level continues to increase, it causes frequent thirst, urination, among other symptoms. These symptoms are usually what eventually bring many men to the doctor.

The excessive blood sugar in diabetes slowly damages your blood vessels and nerves in various parts of your body. This can result in many serious health issues, including kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, blindness, and limb amputation.

Fortunately, regular physical activities plus a healthy diet can help you prevent diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. In fact, a study showed that 30 minutes of physical activity daily helped reduce the chance of diabetes by 50% in obese men at high risk.

If you have a family history of diabetes, you should regularly see your doctor for regular diabetes screening.

Accidents and Injuries

Various surveys showed that unintentional injury was a leading cause of men’s death in 2006. Many of these deaths often occur from drowning, traumatic brain injury, and fireworks accidents.

Furthermore, automobile death rates in men are twice that of women. Occupational injuries also usually affect more male workers than females, with 92% of reported injuries affecting men.

You should therefore be super careful at work, driving, or having a fun day out.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

More than 60% of men above 70 years and about 40% of 40-year-olds have challenges with erectile dysfunction. While this may not be life-threatening, it indicates a critical health issue that shouldn’t be ignored. This is because men with erectile dysfunction are at a higher risk of depression.

Furthermore, ED is usually caused by atherosclerosis – the same underlying cause for heart attacks and strokes. In fact, erectile dysfunction often means that the blood vessels in your entire body are in suboptimal health. This is why experts consider ED an early warning sign for many cardiovascular diseases.

Therefore, you should talk to your doctor if you are experiencing ED because you may be at a higher risk of death than you know.

Liver Disease

Your liver plays an essential role in helping you digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxins from your body.

According to the American Center Society, alcohol and tobacco use can increase your risk of developing various liver diseases. Examples include cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver cancer, alcoholic liver disease, and bile duct cancer.

Various surveys show that men drink significantly more alcohol than women. This puts them at a higher risk of liver diseases than women. You should therefore consider reducing your alcohol intake and tobacco use or even quitting entirely.

Skin Cancer

In 2013, two-thirds of melanoma deaths were men, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. This is more than twice the death rate amongst women.

But you can protect yourself against skin cancer by wearing sunscreen, long sleeve outfits, wide-brimmed hats, and sunglasses when outdoors. You should also avoid or minimize your exposure to UV light sources, like tanning beds, to lower your risk.

Key Takeaway

Men don’t always make their health a priority. This leaves them vulnerable to many health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and so on. So, men tend to have a shorter life expectancy than women.

Fortunately, you can lower your health risks by developing healthy habits like a healthy diet, regular exercise, no smoking, minimal alcohol consumption, regular doctor visits, among other things.

You don’t have to wait until it’s too late to take control of your health.