– by Pirunrat Nathchayanonth (Yori), Client Coordinator
“Did you know that men are 80 percent less likely to use a regular source of healthcare, like a primary care physician, than women? In fact, a lot of men go to the doctor only if they’re sick or have a medical emergency. However, regular check-ups are important for preventing things like cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. If you haven’t had a preventative care check-up in over a year, it’s time to visit your doctor. Many diseases and conditions don’t have obvious symptoms but may put you at risk for heart attack or stroke.” – Pomona Valley Health Center (https://mypvhc.com/ways-improve-mens-health/)
80% is high and definitely not ideal! But why is that the figure? Perhaps, it has something to do with the myth that they’re being associated with the traits of being strong, resilient and unbreakable. It could be one of the reasons why they don’t ask for help because they don’t want to be seen as weak. But let’s stop this stigma! It is completely okay to ask for the help you need or even better, to prevent yourselves from being in a serious medical situation.
Here’s a few common health issues among men
1. Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
According to WHO (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds), Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. They include:
- Coronary Heart Disease – a disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle;
- Cerebrovascular Disease – a disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain;
- Peripheral Arterial Disease – a disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs;
- Rheumatic Heart Disease – damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria;
- Congenital Heart Disease – birth defects that affect the normal development and functioning of the heart caused by malformations of the heart structure from birth; and
- Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the leg veins, which can dislodge and move to the heart and lungs.
Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots.
Johns Hopkins Medicine (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-heart-health-mistakes-made-by-men-and-how-to-avoid-them) pointed out that CVD can also be a cause of your erection problems. They also pointed out that men develop coronary artery disease 10 years before women do. That means they tend to have heart attacks in their 60s—for women, it’s the 70s which coincides with Harvard studies in 2016 (https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-heart-attack-gender-gap)
2. Respiratory Disease
World Population Review (https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-rates-by-country) has ranked 10 countries with the highest smoking rates and you’ll see that that majority of smokers worldwide are male. Therefore; the percentage of respiratory disease is also higher in men.
American Cancer Society(https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html)pointed out that the lifetime chance of getting lung cancer is 1:15 in men and 1:17 in women. For smokers the risk is much higher, while for non-smokers the risk is lower. Although smoking isn’t the only contribute to this but still plays the biggest part.
I don’t smoke, and cigarette smoke often triggers my asthma which makes it difficult for me to be around my dad since he’s a heavy smoker. When I asked him why did he even smoke from the beginning, he said it was something that his friends did so he followed the trend and now it helps relieve his stress. What about you? What’s your reason? I’m just curious.
3. Diabetes
In Medical News Today (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diabetes-affects-men-women#prevalence) research showed that men are almost twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women. Why? CDC explains “As a guy, you’re more likely to get type 2 diabetes at a lower weight than women. One reason is that men store more fat in their bellies—a known risk factor. And more men than women have diabetes that’s undiagnosed; maybe it’s that “don’t want to hear bad news” thing.
We’d rather hear some bad news when it is still reversible, wouldn’t we?
4. Mental Health
According to Mental Health Foundation (https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-men-and-women) – “In 2018, there were 6,507 suicides registered in the UK, and in 2019, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales. Of these, three-quarters were among men, which has been the case since the mid-1990s.”
You may not like talking about your feelings or opening up about your vulnerability but we are here to remind you that you are not alone and it is completely okay to be vulnerable and seek professional help or any help, really. Men being able to discuss their feelings openly being judged or viewed by the “strong, resilient” label they were given is definitely a positive trend that should be aimed for from now on.
5. Prostate Cancer
“In men, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in 112 countries, followed by
lung cancer in 36 countries, and colorectal cancer and liver cancer each in 11 countries. With regard to mortality, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men in 93 countries, in part because of its high fatality rate,21 followed by prostate cancer (48 countries) and liver cancer (23 countries).” – American Cancer Society (https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21660)
According to the National Cancer Institute (https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html), approximately 12.5 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2016–2018 data. Even though the survival rate is at 97.5%, it is not something you want to associate with so we recommend to go for a regular prostate health screening.
These are just some examples of what men’s health issues. We’d like to reiterate that your health, should be your priority. When you take good care of yourself, only then will you have the strength to take care of others around you.
You also have some certain health issues that require regular check-ups just like the ladies. So if you haven’t scheduled a check-up in a long time, we strongly encourage that you do it now. You can always call us if you need assistance regarding this. We are here to help.