Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!  This is a perfect time to remind men and the women who love them that men require specific health screenings in order to detect health problems early when they are more treatable.  In my experience many men tend to put off health care and doctor’s visits which means that many conditions are ignored until they have become more advanced and harder to treat.  Below is a list of the most important health screenings for men:

1.  Height, Weight and Body Mass Index:  Yearly for all men. 
2.  Blood Pressure:  Yearly starting at age 21. 
3.  Cholesterol:  Yearly starting at age 35. 
4.  Prostate Cancer Screening:  Discuss with your doctor. 
5.  Colon Cancer Screening:  Colonoscopy at age 50 or earlier if family history. 
6.  Diabetes:  Discuss with your doctor. 
7.  Depression:  Men tend to be under diagnosed and under treated for depression. 
8.  Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm:  Men ages 65-75 who have ever smoked tobacco need to be screened for this with an ultrasound. 
9.  Infections:  All men under 65 should be screened for HIV and all men born between 1945-1965 should be screened for Hepatitis C. 

A great place to start with some of these screenings is a visit to check height, weight, body mass index and blood pressure and a blood draw to check blood sugar and cholesterol along with any other pertinent tests.  Please contact me if you or your loved one is interested in scheduling an appointment!