According to a new survey commissioned by MHN (Men’s health network), 70% of men find it easier to look after their cars than they do their health. Men tend to ignore symptoms for illnesses that they could easily treat and will experience these symptoms for 6 months to a year before seeking medical help.
MHN partnered up with Abbott Laboratories and rounded up 501 men between the ages of 45 and 65 years and their spouses. The study’s author conceded that men are taught by society to be tough in the face of illness and physical pain but doctors say that this is not acceptable and that after 40 years, men do not have the choice to ignore telling symptoms.
It is recommended that men have an annual check-up which includes a cholesterol check, blood pressure test, hormone level tests and prostate and testes examinations. Men pop pills for erectile dysfunction (ED) without viewing the condition as a symptom of another possible cardiovascular related condition. It is also known that erectile dysfunction can be an indication of a future suffering from heart disease and in cases this can develop 3 to 5 years after ED commences.
Men need to have their own MOT especially as they get older. Chest pain, body hair loss and ED are some of the symptoms that require an examination and those who suffer from obesity, diabetes, asthma and HIV are at even greater risk.