10 health symptoms men should NEVER ignore

 

The bloke who puts off seeing his GP over that niggling cough may sound like a stereotype, but Martin Tod reckons there huge numbers like him out there.
And they’re not doing themselves any favours by burying their heads in the sand.
Because they’re already more likely than women to be struck down by illness – and much more likely to ignore symptoms.
Martin, chief of charity Men’s Health Forum , says: “Studies show men under 65 are significantly less likely than women to consult the doctor.
"They are also roughly half as knowledgeable about health as women and less able to name key symptoms of common conditions.” And statistics don’t favour men.
The average UK life expectancy for a man is 79, and 83 for a woman. Rates of illnesses such as heart disease and common cancers are all higher in men. And they are 37% more likely to die from cancer than women, says a 2013 joint report by Men’s Health Forum and two UK cancer research organisations.
But it doesn’t need to be this way. “Statistics show men are more likely to be overweight than women, and drink and smoke more – all factors that can be changed,” says Martin.
“Raising awareness and getting symptoms checked early can go a long way to improving health.”
Here are some key symptoms men should NEVER ignore.

Stress

Seek help rather than suffer in silence (Photo: Getty)

Martin says: “Twice as many women as men use mental health services, yet men account for four in five suicides.
“Problems often begin with stress. If it’s not dealt with, it can become more serious. However, mental health stigma can put men off seeking the help they need.”
Long-term stress can cause problems such as headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure, lowered immunity and depression.
Act now! Try some self-help strategies such as exercise, time management or listening to a relaxation podcast or CD. Men’s Health Forum is offering a range of Beat Stress information, including an anonymous webchat service ( menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw). Or consult your GP.

Getting and keeping an erection becomes more difficult with age, but a 2013 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests erectile dysfunction affects around a quarter of men under 40.
There can be a range of causes, according to Dr Mike Webberley, medical adviser for online health-testing service Medichecks (medichecks.com).
He says: “While stress and anxiety can be to blame, it’s important to get a diagnosis because erectile dysfunction can also be a sign of a potentially serious underlying condition that affects nerve function or blood flow, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
“Another possible treatable cause is a fall in levels of the hormone testosterone.”
Act now! If you’ve consistently had problems for more than a few weeks, see your doctor
who will carry out an assessment to find the cause. Low testosterone can be treated by hormone replacement therapy.

A lump in your testicles

Examine yourself regularly (Photo: Getty)

The most common causes include a collection of varicose veins, fluid or a cyst. However, a lump always needs checking out as it may be a symptom of testicular cancer, which affects 2,300 men a year in the UK, according to male cancer charity Orchid.
It’s more common among men under 45, with a higher risk among those born with an undescended testicle or those with a close relative with the disease.
Act now! Examine your testicles weekly so you can spot anything unusual such as a change in size, weight or texture. To find out how, visit orchid-cancer.org.uk/testicular-cancer . If you’re worried about anything, see your GP. Testicular cancer has a very high survival rate if caught early.

Waterworks issues

It’s common to need the loo more often as you get older, but certain urinary symptoms could indicate an enlarged or inflamed prostate, or even prostate cancer, which affects 47,000 UK men a year, mostly over the age of 50.
Act now! Dr Webberley says: “See your GP if you’re getting up several times in the night to pass small amounts of water, or if you’re having difficulty starting urinating or emptying your bladder fully. Also if there’s a weak flow of urine, you have pain, blood in your urine or backache. Your GP should carry out a rectal examination, check a prostate blood test and may refer you for further investigations.”

A cough that won’t go away

Persistent coughing isn't a minor matter (Photo: Getty)

Most coughs will clear up within a week or so, but sometimes a chronic infection such as bronchitis may develop. However, persistent coughs may have a range of common causes from asthma to acid reflux, sinusitis or side effects from medication such as ACE inhibitors, used to treat high blood pressure.
Act now! “See your GP if you’ve had a cough for longer than three or four weeks,” says Dr Webberley. “If you’re a smoker, don’t avoid seeing your doctor because you don’t want to be told to stop. A ‘smoker’s cough’ can be a sign of COPD, a serious lung disease that will become extremely debilitating if untreated.” Other serious causes include lung cancer, the second most common in men, a blood clot on the lung or heart problems.

A change in bowel habits

A change in your stools could be harmless or something more sinister (Photo: Getty)

Abdominal pain and a prolonged change in bowel habits such as diarrhoea or constipation are common and often due to irritable bowel syndrome or poor diet, while haemorrhoids – itchy swellings consisting of engorged blood vessels – are the most common cause of fresh bleeding after going to the loo.
However, all the above are also symptoms of bowel cancer which affects around 23,000 UK men a year. While nine in 10 cases occur in the over-sixties, according to Cancer Research UK, your risk may be higher at a younger age if bowel cancer runs in your family.
Act now! “See your GP if there’s blood when you go to the loo, especially if it’s dark coloured, or if you’ve had a change of bowel habits for six weeks with no obvious cause, such as a change in diet,” says Dr Webberley.

Severe snoring

Snoring is no joke - it may be a symptom of a more serious problem (Photo: Getty)

Some people may treat it as a joke, but severe snoring may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition that causes the soft tissues in the throat to collapse, blocking the airway for 10 seconds or more.
It’s more common in men and, besides seriously affecting sleep quality, it can increase risk of high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. You’ll probably feel tired most of the time and your partner will almost certainly be sick of the noise.
Act now! Try losing excess weight and avoiding alcohol or cigarettes before bed. There are lots of snoring remedies, but their effectiveness depends on the cause.
Visit the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association’s website ( britishsnoring.co.uk ). Your GP can refer you to a specialist who can diagnose sleep apnoea. You can also wear special devices at night to keep your airways open.

Bleeding gums

Blood could be a sign (Photo: Getty)

Inflamed or bleeding gums are the first signs of gum disease, which affects men more than women, according to the latest Adult Dental Health Survey. Left untreated, it can eventually lead to tooth loss, but according to the Oral Health Foundation, it’s also strongly linked to several serious conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Act now! Brush twice a day – a third of men don’t, according to the Oral Health Foundation –
and floss daily. If this doesn’t fix things, see your dentist. Bleeding can also be a symptom of mouth cancer, which is almost twice as common in men as women. Also, recurrent gum disease can be a sign of diabetes so your dentist may suggest you see your doctor.

Dodgy moles

Get it checked (Photo: Getty)

A new mole or a change in an existing one can be the first symptom of malignant melanoma, the most life-threatening form of skin cancer.
Although an equal proportion of men and women are affected, Cancer Research UK figures show that the mortality rate is 58% in men compared with 42% in women.
Act now! Give your skin an MoT. If you have any moles that have grown, changed shape or colour, become sore, itch, bleed or are jagged around the edges, see your GP right away. Don’t delay – the earlier you’re diagnosed, the better your chances.

Misshapen manhood

It’s normal for your manhood to be slightly curved when erect, but one in 20 men in the UK, mainly between the age of 40 and 60, have Peyronie’s disease, when a hard plaque of collagen forms on part of the penis, causing it to bend. This may cause no problems but it can be painful and make sex difficult.
Act now! The good news is, it may correct itself within a few months if it’s mild. However, if it’s painful or causing sexual difficulties, see your GP who may suggest steroid injections to combat the build-up of plaque.
Severe cases can be treated with surgery but only 10% of men need this, according to Men’s Health Forum. For more info visit new website thisispeyronies.co.uk

Case Study: 'It took a heart attack for me to ask for help'

Andrew Critchley, 48, of Prescot, Merseyside, is a voluntary disability football coach. He and wife Lynsey have children, Millie, 17, and Adam, 14. He hid anxiety until a heart attack...

Andrew ended up suffering a heart attack

n 2008, I lost my mum to cancer and my eight-month-old nephew to meningitis within two weeks. I was devastated.
At the same time, my job as a branch manager at an insurance company was becoming increasingly stressful and I was struggling.
But I pretended it was all OK. I began to feel anxious about things that hadn't bothered me before, especially time-keeping, which would lead to huge rows at home.
I'd get a knot in my stomach, couldn't sleep or eat and was always angry.
Four years later I had a heart attack at 44. I wasn't overweight and didn't have the usual risk factors such as high cholesterol or bad diet.
The doctor said stress and anxiety had probably contributed to it and he wouldn't sign me back to work, so I took redundancy.
I felt worthless and became withdrawn. The doctor suggested cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps you to look at
your problems in a more balanced way.
So instead of thinking, 'I'm going to be late . it'll be a disaster'. If, you think, 'and if I am, what's the worst thing that could happen?'
I started doing voluntary work and eventually became an employment tutor for a charity for a while.
I'm now involved with the anti-stigma mental health charity Time To Change, sharing my own experience of stress and encouraging
others to seek help.
A lot of men think admitting to stress is a sign of weakness. It's not. My biggest mistake was burying my head in the sand. It made
things far worse.

New research - involving more than 1 million men in Sweden - finds that differences in heart rate and blood pressure in late adolescence may be associated with an increased lifetime risk for psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders.

Men who have high blood pressure and high heart rate in their teens are more likely to develop OCD, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders, say researchers.

Previous smaller studies have reported elevated resting heart rate in people with major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and psychotic disorders. Alterations in blood pressure have also been observed in people with schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.
However, results of these studies have been inconsistent, with some studies reporting higher or lower blood pressure levels, and they have been skewed, in part, by side effects of medications.
The researchers aimed in this new large-scale cohort study to investigate whether differences in resting heart rate and blood pressure are associated with psychiatric disorders during the lifetimes of men in Sweden.
Researchers from Sweden and Finland conducted a study based on data of 1,794,361 Swedish men whose resting heart rate and blood pressure were measured at military conscription at an average age of 18 years between 1969-2010.

High heart rate linked to OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders

Antti Latvala, Ph.D., of the University of Helsinki in Finland, and co-authors included several potential factors that may influence the outcome of the results, including physical, cognitive, and socioeconomic factors. They included height, weight, and body mass index (BMI), due to their potential association with both cardiovascular functioning and the risk for mental disorders.
The data were adjusted for general cognitive ability (IQ), because, according to the study authors, IQ is associated with psychiatric morbidity, although its association with resting heart beat and blood pressure is unknown.
Research results - published online in JAMA Psychiatry - show that male teenagers who had a resting heart rate above 82 beats per minute had a 69 percent increased risk of developing obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD), compared with male teenagers with a resting heart rate below 62 beats per minute.
Similarly, compared with males in the lower heart rate category, men in the higher heart rate category had a 21 percent increased risk for schizophrenia and an 18 percent greater risk for anxiety. In contrast, teenage males with a lower resting heartbeat were linked to substance use disorders and violent convictions, particularly after adjusting for physical fitness.
The study authors reported similar associations for OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, substance use disorders, and violence with higher and lower blood pressure readings.
"In this large-scale longitudinal cohort study, we found men with higher resting heart rate and higher blood pressure in late adolescence to be more likely to have received a diagnosis of OCD, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorder later in life," say the authors.
The strongest associations were seen with OCD, with men in the higher resting heart rate category 70-80 percent more likely to be at risk than men in the lower category. Correspondingly, men in the highest blood pressure category had a 30-40 percent greater risk for OCD than men in the lowest blood pressure category.

Low heart rate linked to substance use disorders, violent criminality

"Our findings are novel; there are no previous prospective studies linking these cardiovascular measures to subsequent OCD, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorders," the researchers note. However, they say that their findings cannot establish cause and effect.
The researchers point out that the data included were for men; therefore, it is uncertain whether the same results would be seen in women.
"Compared with men, women have a higher heart rate but show relatively greater parasympathetic control of the heart," note the authors. "While these differences are poorly understood, they imply that associations between resting heart rate and psychiatric disorders may be different in men and women."
Antti Latvala and colleagues summarize their findings:

"In a large and representative sample of men, higher resting heart rate and blood pressure in late adolescence were associated with subsequent diagnoses of OCD, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders, whereas lower resting heart rate and blood pressure were associated with subsequent diagnoses of substance use disorders and violent criminality."

These associations should be confirmed in other longitudinal studies, the authors write, and the underlying mechanisms should be investigated with more comprehensive measures to clarify causation, they conclude.
Read about how depression could be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Written by Hannah Nichols

 As if it weren’t stressful enough knowing that stress is bad for our health, a new study finds that for younger women in particular, mental stress may contribute to heart disease in measureable ways. If you have heart disease to begin with, that is. The study looked at people in their 30s to 70s and found that when they started out with heart problems, being stressed in the lab reduced blood flow to their hearts, and the effect was significantly greater for women. It’s not clear if the results also apply to healthy individuals, but it’s likely they may, given what we know about the links between mental and heart health. And since heart disease kills more women every year, and women are more affected by anxiety than men, the results are worth paying attention to. 

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“We wanted to address the question of whether psychological stress affects the heart circulation of young women with heart disease differently than men of the same age,” says Viola Vaccarino. “We were interested in this question because previous studies have suggested that psychological factors like depression and stressful events may affect cardiovascular risk in young women more than in men.”
So she and her team had men and women with underlying heart disease come into the lab, and undergo some stressful situations. They measured blood flow to the participants’ hearts, before and after an event that was both emotionally difficult and psychologically stressful. The participants were asked to imagine a close relative being mistreated in a nursing home, prepare a statement about it and then present it in front of researchers in white lab coats (and, to make matters worse, there was a video camera pointed on them).
It turned out that women's hearts were more affected by the experience than men's. “We found that women had a greater reduction in blood flow to the heart than men with mental stress, but this difference was much more pronounced among younger patients and lessened with age,” says Vaccarino. “Our findings suggest that women with heart disease in their 30s, 40s and early 50s are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of psychological stress on their heart circulation.”
It’s important to remember that the women in the study had existing heart disease, related issues like high blood pressure, and most were overweight. So the obvious question is, would mental stress have the same effect on healthy women without heart disease? That part isn’t so clear, but given what we know about how stress and depression affect people, particularly women, over the long-term, it’s likely it might.

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“Hints come from studies of depression and early life adversity,” says Vaccarino, "showing that these are associated with future heart disease more in young women than in men. Our study included women and men with heart disease. It is known, however, that the damaging effects of stress on the heart and the circulation may affect people well before the disease is manifested, and contribute to early-onset heart disease—this may be especially true for women.”
More research will of course be needed to suss out the relationship between mental stress and heart problems in otherwise healthy people, and from a young age. But from what we know about the links between mental health and heart health, it’s becoming pretty clear that we need to take care of ourselves psychologically. Caring for our mental health may, in the end, be one of the best things (if not the best) that we can do for our physical health.

If you don’t have a regular source of healthcare or you’ve never had your cholesterol checked, you’re not alone. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 26 percent of men in the United States do not have a regular source of healthcare.
Read on to learn how to reverse this trend with medical tests and screenings to keep you healthy.

Excess weight increases your risk for diabetes and heart disease. Your body mass index (BMI) measures your body fat based on your height and weight, and it can determine if you’re overweight or at risk for developing obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an adult BMI between 18.5 and 25 is within normal range.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that all adults over the age of 35 have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. Screening should begin at 20 years of age if you have certain risk factors, which include:

• diabetes
• smoking
• BMI over 30
• family history of stroke
• first degree relatives who’ve had heart attacks

To measure your cholesterol, your doctor will draw a small blood sample from your arm. The results will indicate your levels of:

• HDL (good cholesterol)
• LDL (bad cholesterol)
• triglycerides

Cholesterol test results are shown in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). According to the Mayo Clinic, a healthy total cholesterol goal should be below 200 mg/dL.

High triglycerides are associated with metabolic syndrome, which increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. The same blood draw used to measure your cholesterol provides a reading of your triglycerides, a type of fat. An optimal triglyceride level is less than 100 mg/dL, although levels below 150 mg/dL are considered normal.

If your blood pressure is high, you may require medication to control it and ward off heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. If your blood pressure is within the normal range, you only need to have your blood pressure checked every two years. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg, according to the AHA. If your blood pressure is higher, your doctor will probably want to check it more frequently. The diagnosis of high blood pressure requires two readings taken four hours apart of greater than 120/80 mm Hg. One blood pressure measure greater than 120/80 mm Hg always has to be confirmed with a follow-up measurement.

Blood pressure higher than 135/80 mm Hg may be a symptom of diabetes. Testing for diabetes may include a hemoglobin A1C blood test, a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A single test is insufficient to diagnose diabetes. A second test must confirm that your blood glucose level is abnormally high.

According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American men and women. If you’ve celebrated your 50th birthday and haven’t been screened for colorectal cancer, it’s time. You should get screened earlier if colorectal cancer runs in your family.
Don’t worry; a colonoscopy is painless and takes only 15 to 20 minutes. Even better, this test can detect colon cancer early, when it’s most treatable. Your doctor can find and remove precancerous growths before they become malignant.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is caused by an enlarged blood vessel in the stomach that ruptures suddenly. AAAs frequently have no symptoms, and they are fatal in up to 90 percent of cases, according to a study published in the American Family Physician.
The good news is that an ultrasound can detect an AAA before it ruptures. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for men between 65 and 75 who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime.

Although depression occurs more often in women than it does in men, men are susceptible to it, too. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 6 million men are diagnosed with depression in the United States every year. Feeling hopeless or experiencing loss of interest in things you normally enjoy for more than 2 weeks may signal depression.
Don’t dismiss prolonged bouts of feeling down or try to tough it out. Your doctor can screen you for depression and help determine how to treat it. Therapy, medication, or a combination of the two can help.

The number of cases of melanoma has increased more rapidly over the last 40 years in the United States than any other form of cancer, according to the AIM at Melanoma Foundation. The number of cases in the United States doubled since 1973. Melanoma is currently the country’s fifth most common cancer among men. More women then men get melanoma before the age of 50, but by age 65 the ratio reverses. Men then get melanoma twice as often as women. By age 80, men account for three times more cases of melanoma than women.
Check your skin every month for moles that have changed or look abnormal. The ABCDE’s of melanoma are used to help you keep in mind what to watch for:

• A, asymmetry: If the mole is cut in half vertically, the two halves are not the same.
• B, border: The edges of the mole are irregular.
• C, color: There are changes in the color of the mole or surrounding area.
• D, diameter: The diameter of the mole is larger than 5mm.
• E, everything: The mole starts to itch, bleed, or change in any way.

You should also look out for sores that won’t heal. Have your doctor check your skin thoroughly as part of your physical. Melanoma is highly curable when diagnosed early.

Current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations say that risks of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test outweigh the benefits. False positive results lead to too many unnecessary biopsies. Talk with your doctor about your risks for prostate cancer and whether a digital rectal exam (DRE) should be part of your physical.
You should also talk with your doctor about whether testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is appropriate for you.