Men's Health
Heart Risk in Men
Risk factors for heart disease depend on your current health and symptoms and previous medical history, along with family history, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and level of exercise.
Your blood pressure will also be measured.
If relevant, these may be followed by blood tests to measure blood fat or cholesterol levels. Men wanting a PSA or prostate blood test MUST see their doctor first.
ECG are NOT automatically performed since it is a poor screening test for heart risk in otherwise healthy adults with no symptoms. It is only useful if there are possible symptoms of heart disease or when a high blood pressure reading is found.
If you develop chest pain or breathing difficulties associated with exercise or exertion - you should see your doctor without delay.
Prostate Problems
Most men will find their ability to pass urine alters with age - particularly after the age of sixty.
These are usually due to benign changes in the prostate gland but may need assessment by your doctor.
Warning signs are a sudden or rapid deterioration in symptoms or pain or passage of blood in the urine.
A scoring system below may help men to decide whether they should consult their doctor and maybe useful in assessing their own symptoms over a period of time.
Prostate Scoring Schedule
|
Over the past month |
Not at all |
Less than 1 in 5 times |
Less than half the time |
About half the time |
More than half the time |
Almost always |
|
How often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely when finished passing urine? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
How often have you had to urinate again less than 2 hours after previously doing so? |
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
How often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
How often have you found it difficult to postpone passing urine? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
How often have you had a weak stream? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
How often have you had to push or strain to begin passing urine? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
How many times did you get up and urinate during the night? |
None |
Once
|
Twice
|
Three
|
Four
|
Five
|
In general all men with a score of 12 should consult their doctor at the next convenient appointment. Men with scores between 12 - 21 may also need further assessment.
Your doctor will be happy to see you and perform a simple rectal examination to assess the size of your prostate in such situations and discuss any further investigations such as urine or blood tests to guide further management.