There are many diseases specific to men that can potentially cause adverse effects like death. Some of the reasons contributing to this trend include smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, alcohol and substance abuse, and lack of routine medical care. Kalpana Desai, MD, a family practice physician in Lady Lake, insists that societal factors, like aggression and violence, risky behavior, work and life stress, and insufficient social support or fear to seek help make men more susceptible to illness. These are the common health conditions affecting men:
Depression and Suicide
Many men are known for keeping things internally; they do not like talking issues out, which leads to depression and sometimes thoughts of suicide. Understanding how to manage your mental health status effectively is the first step towards making a significant improvement in the quality of your life, allowing you to support your family and perform at your best. There are some proven ways to cure depression-like always talking to your closest friends about what you are going through, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and visiting a therapist.
Heart Diseases
Heart diseases are common to most men. Most of the men who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of heart diseases are as follows:
- Heart attack.
- Chest pain or discomfort.
- Upper back or neck pain.
- Indigestion.
- Heartburn.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Upper body discomfort.
- Dizziness.
- Shortness of breath.
- And arrhythmia, fluttering feelings in the chest (palpitations).
Some of the ways to reduce the risk of heart diseases are as follows:
- Regularly check your blood pressure.
- Eat healthy food.
- Quit smoking.
- Check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels with your physician.
- Limit alcohol intake.
- And learn to control your stress level.
Prostate Cancer
This is one of the most common cancers found in men and the second leading type of cancer for death in men (following lung cancer). The good news is that it is treatable if found in its early stages, but the bad news is that often it shows no symptoms until it has spread to other parts of the body. The older you are, the higher your risk of developing prostate cancer. Awareness, early screenings, regularly exercising, and maintaining a healthy diet can help reduce your risk of malignancy.
Lung Cancer
Men are more likely to get squamous cell lung cancer, a type of non-small cell lung cancer that develops within the lungs' airways. It accounts for around 30% of all lung cancer diagnoses and is directly linked to cigarette smoking. Moreover, when heavy smoking is added to the mix, the risk of this disease increases.
Although most common health conditions affecting men are curable, it is essential to have a personal doctor to conduct regular checkups. Contact Integrated Family Medical Center if you have any questions concerning any symptoms you might be exhibiting to schedule an appointment for a physical examination.
