These are the top 8 health problems men experience
-
Loading... - Audrey Smith
- 10 Jun 2022
- 298 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
While illnesses don’t discriminate against race, background or gender, there are some diseases men are more prone to than women.
According to Affinity Health, these are the most common health problems men experience:
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease or strokes, are the leading cause of death globally.
According to the World Health Organisation, one in three adult men have some type of cardiovascular disease.
Men are urged to schedule routine exams with their doctor who can estimate their risk of falling ill based on risk factors including your cholesterol level, blood pressure and lifestyle.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs.
Affinity Health explains that many respiratory disorders begin with a smoker’s cough, and with time, that cough can progress to life-threatening illnesses.
A cough can signal lung cancer, emphysema, or COPD, and these diseases all impair your capacity for normal breathing.
If you are a smoker, let your doctor know who will determine if you need a low-dose CT scan to screen for lung cancer.
Alcohol abuse
Men binge drink at a rate twice that of women, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men also have higher deaths and hospital admissions because of alcohol.
Drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, and colon cancer. Alcohol also impairs testicular function and hormone synthesis, which could lead to impotence and infertility.
Suicide and depression
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) that there are 23 known cases of suicide in South Africa every day. 70% of those who attempt suicide have a mental disorder, the most common by far being depression.
According to theThe South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP), men are five times more likely to die by suicide than women and they often use more aggressive methods.
Of the 3,774 suicides reported in South Africa, 10,861 were men while 2,913 were women – translating to a rate of 37.6 per 100,000 for men and 9.8 per 100,000 for women.
It also said that men underplay the distress caused by these symptoms drowning their depression and anxiety with poor coping behaviours, increasing their risk of the anxiety or depression to go unrecognised and untreated.
The below strategies can help overcome depression:
· Booking an appointment with your health care provider. They may prescribe medication to treat depression and anxiety
· Contacting The South African Depression and Anxiety Group for help. (24hr Helpline: 0800 456 789)
· Getting enough sleep
· Checking with your doctor before using supplements or performance-enhancing drugs
· Getting regular exercise, even if it is just going for a quick walk
· Journaling or writing down your thoughts
· Communicating your feelings freely with friends and family members
