Even the toughest of men can tremble at the mention of five little words (and no, they’re not, “Honey, we need to talk”).

The phrase “time to visit the doctor” can induce more male-pattern anxiety than the most stressful of situations. But while certain medical tests (and the waiting period for results) can be stressful, uncomfortable and downright embarrassing, they could save your life — provided you see your physician.

In commemoration of Men’s Health Week (June 12-18, 2006), the primary care and family physicians of Crozer-Keystone Health System want you to know about the importance of routine screenings and tests for men of all ages.

“When we think of a ‘screening,’ we normally think of tests or procedures,” says Mitchell Kaminski, M.D., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.  “However, the first ‘screen’ you should consider isn’t a test at all — it’s a meeting with your primary care provider to review your own personal history and risk factors. These screenings should occur through young adulthood, with increased frequency as we get older, when many more tests and procedures are recommended.”

Kaminski recommends visiting your primary care or family physician every three to five years, starting around age 20. Your physician will probably ask to see you yearly once you reach the age of 40, when health maintenance issues set in and more frequent screenings and tests become necessary.

Before age 40, however, most men should take advantage of certain health screenings, many of which don’t require a visit to a physician. Blood pressure and cholesterol testing, for example, can be performed at a health fair or hospital, with the results sent to your family physician.

“Because cardiovascular disease and stroke are the No. 1 causes of death for men in our country, screening for risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease make sense,” Kaminski says. “These include blood pressure measurement, cholesterol profile measurement, and height and weight (body mass index calculations or waist size measurement). Cigarette smoking is a wild card that kicks any patient into a higher risk category, and a strong family history of heart attacks, especially at age 50 or younger, is also a red flag that tells a patient he needs to pay particular attention to his cardiac risk factors.”

As men age, more specific tests and screenings are required, two of which — prostate screenings and colon screenings — can detect the presence of cancer in its earliest stages.

“Studies have shown that, in many cases, early detection of cancer can improve a patient’s chances of surviving and even beating the disease,” says David Kalodner, D.O., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Taylor Hospital. “As we age, our risks of developing prostate and colorectal cancers increase, so our needs for more routine screenings increase as well. As a general rule, men over age 50 should have yearly screenings for both prostate and colorectal cancer, but men of certain ethnic groups or those with a strong family history of either disease may want to begin screenings earlier. Talk with your physician to find out if you should be screened and when.”  

According to the Men’s Health Network of Washington, D.C., men should consult their health care providers about the following screenings:

Procedure	Frequency
Physical exam: review overall health status, perform a thorough physical exam and discuss health-related topics	Ages 20-39: every 3 years Ages 40-49: every 2 years Ages 50+: every year
Blood pressure: high blood pressure has no symptoms, but can cause permanent damage to body organs	Every year
Cholesterol screening: high cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke	Every year
Colon cancer screening: a flexible scope examines the rectum, sigmoid and descending colon for cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages	Ages 50+: flexible sigmoidoscopy every 3-4 years; colonoscopy every 10 years
Prostate cancer screening: digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing can detect prostate cancer	Ages 40-49: DRE yearly; PSA yearly for African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer Ages 50+: DRE and PSA yearly