MONDAY, June 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Many men will delay going to the doctor unless they’re really sick, but men’s health screenings help catch problems before symptoms appear.

So, how are you going to tell if a health screening or preventive care appointment is true for you?

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Library of Medicine offer several men’s health screening and preventative care recommendations.

A lot of these recommendations are guided by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which is made up of experts in primary care and disease prevention.

Here’s a comprehensive guide, based on this expert advice, to an important men’s health screenings you would like — and the way often it is best to go — to remain on top of your health.

Physical exam

When to get it:

Start at age 18

How often:

Periodically or annually if aged 65 and older

Regular exams by your doctor are used to screen for current and potential medical issues. A physical exam may include:

• Checking your height, weight and body mass index
• Discussing healthy lifestyle practices
• Updating your vaccinations
• Talking about health issues or medical concerns you could have
• Asking about your weight loss program plan, exercise routine, and alcohol and tobacco use
• Asking when you’re experiencing any issues with anxiety and depression
• Should you’re aged 65 and older, checking your blood pressure annually, your cholesterol every five years and discussing your medications

Colon cancer screening

When to get it:

Start at age 45 if you could have a family history of colon polyps or cancer. Otherwise, ages 50 to 75.

How often:

A stool-based test yearly. Your doctor may recommend a stool DNA test each one to 3 years, a virtual colonoscopy every five years, a sigmoidoscopy every five to 10 years, and a colonoscopy at the least every 10 years.

Screenings for colorectal cancer help your doctor determine if you could have the disease or if precancerous polyps are present before symptoms occur.

The CDC notes that finding colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps at this early stage is significant because that is when treatments are most definitely to cure or prevent the disease.

Lung cancer screening

When to get it:

Ages 50 to 80 when you smoke or stopped smoking inside the past 15 years, plus have a 20-pack yr smoking history

How often:

Yearly

Based on the CDC, more men (13.1%) than women (10.1%) in the US smoked cigarettes in 2021.

“Smoking is one of the crucial dangerous health behaviors there may be,” Johns Hopkins University tobacco researcher Dr. Johannes Thrul said in a recent NIH article.

The USPSTF notes that smoking and age are the 2 most vital risk aspects for developing lung cancer, which is why screenings using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) are advisable annually.

Identical to with colon cancer, the CDC says that early treatments for lung cancer have the perfect outcomes.

Blood pressure screening

When to get it:

Ages 18 and older

How often:

Yearly if:

• You’ve got a first-degree relative with hypertension
• Your blood pressure reading is 120 to 129 mm Hg on top or 70 to 79 mm Hg on bottom, or higher
• You’re Black
• You’ve got diabetes, are chubby or produce other health conditions that put you at increased risk for developing hypertension
• You’re 65 or older

Every 3 to five years if:

• Your blood pressure is inside the traditional range (below 120 mm Hg on top and below 80 mm Hg on bottom) and you could have no hypertension risk aspects

“Only about half the people within the country who’ve hypertension are controlled to advisable levels. We could prevent loads more heart attacks and strokes if more people had their blood pressure well controlled,” Dr. David Goff Jr., director of cardiovascular sciences on the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, said in a recent NIH article.

Blood pressure checks help ensure your blood pressure is under control. They permit your doctor to set you up on a treatment plan immediately to cut back hypertension if it’s found during screening.

Skin cancer screening

When to get it:

Skin cancer behavioral counseling:

• Ages 18 to 24
• Ages 18 and older if you could have fair skin

How often:

Periodically

Although the USPSTF didn’t find enough evidence to point skin cancer screening outweighs the chance of testing, they do recommend skin cancer behavioral counseling for each young adults and all adults with fair skin. This education is aimed toward ensuring people limit their exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which increases the chance of developing the disease.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute notes that your doctor can assist you to determine if and the way often you would like skin cancer screening based in your risk aspects for developing the condition and your past medical history.