Did you know that most men die 5 years earlier than their wives; and most single men die at an earlier age than their married counterparts? The reasons men have a lower life expectancy when compared to women are partly biological and partly related to men’s approach to health.
June is celebrated across the United States as Men’s Health month with the goal being to heighten awareness about health problems and to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical care to diagnose and treat disease or injury. Here are some health issues that affect more men than women:
- Cardiovascular Disease:Heart disease and stroke are the 1st and 2nd leading causes of death in US. For unclear reasons, a man’s arteries tend to develop cholesterol plaques earlier than a woman’s arteries with the average age of death for men due to cardiovascular disease being 65 years as compared to 71 years in As a man, you must work harder to keep cholesterol levels under control with regular exercise and a heart-healthy diet.
- Lung Cancer: This is a very aggressive type of cancer that spreads very By the time it is diagnosed, it may have already reached an advanced stage and become very difficult to cure. Less than 50% of men survive the first year after being diagnosed with this condition. About 90% of all lung cancers are caused by tobacco smoke. If you are a smoker, you should quit immediately.
- Diabetes: Research studies have demonstrated that there is a higher prevalence of diabetes type 2 in older men as compared to older This could be due to larger amount of visceral body fat in men. Moderate weight loss and about 30 minutes of regular physical activity may reduce your risk of diabetes by as much as 50%.
- Colorectal Cancer: It is the second leading cause of cancer-related death and is expectedto cause greater than 51,000 deaths in the year Men have a slightly higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than women. The good news is death rates due to colorectal cancer have been falling over the years due to early diagnosis during colon cancer screening and prompt treatment.
- Prostate Cancer: This condition occurs exclusively in men (as women don’t have a prostate gland). About 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes, but only 1 in 35 will die as a result of it. This is because most prostate cancers spread very slowly and can be easily identified during a prostate cancer screening
According to statistics, men visit their doctors less often compared to women and are more likely to receive a serious diagnosis when they do. Men’s Health Month is the right time to man up and commit to improving your health; not just for yourself, but also for your loved ones.
At North Central Surgical Center, our mission is to treat each and every one of our patients, and their families, as if they were our own family member. Each patient, each family, each and every time.