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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Men over the age of 65 should add the following tests to the list for ages 40–64;

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

• Men between ages 65-75 who have smoked should have an ultrasound done once to screen for abdominal aortic aneurysms.
• Other men should discuss such screening with their health care practitioner.

Colon Cancer Screening

One of the following screening tests should be done:

• A stool test every year
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years along with a stool occult blood test
• Colonoscopy every 10 years
• After age 75, men should discuss colon cancer screening with their doctor

Eye Exam

• Have an eye exam every 2 years, especially if you have vision problems or risk factors for glaucoma.

Immunizations

• Men over 65 should get a pneumococcal vaccine if they have never had before, or if they received one more than 5 years before they turned 65.
• Get a flu shot every year
• Get a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years
• Men may get a shingles or herpes zoster vaccination after age 60. Men can get it at any age if they never had the vaccination. Currently, the recommendation is for only one dose, but this may change.

Osteoporosis Screening

• All men over age 65 should discuss osteoporosis screening with their health care practitioner.

Prostate Cancer Screening

• All men should discuss prostate cancer screening with their health care practitioner.
• (See above 40 – 64 age section on prostate testing for controversy about PSA testing.)

Preventive Health Visits Annually

Preventive health visits each year should include:

• Checking height and weight
• Screening for alcohol and tobacco use
• Screening for depression
• Screening for the risk of falls or medication interactions
• Screening for hearing loss

As previously stated, men's health is a bit more complicated than car care, but with all of the above considered, the recommendations and tests form a reasonable basic health guide for men to follow. The following is a list of potential health problems that affect some men. It is not meant to be all-inclusive, but is designed to give basic information to men about the condition. Because each condition may be complicated and have more in-depth information (books are available on some of these topics) than can be covered in this article, each topic will have at least one or more reference listed in the reference section.

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See the Entire Men's Health Topic Guide »