If you’re a man, until you hit your late 30s, health issues are the last thing on your mind. When they do start nagging you, you begin off small; let’s say with an aching back or a knee. However, with age, health concerns shift to bigger problems such as cancer, erectile dysfunction, heart diseases and even dementia, which is on the rise today. Listed below are the most-heard health problems of men, along with tips for diagnosis and prevention.

Cardiovascular problems
According to the American Heart Association, an average of 2 in every 3 adult men suffers from some variant of cardiovascular disease. In fact, stroke and heart diseases are one of the leading causes of men’s death in the USA. In order to avoid being plagued with it, there are several things that men can do to reduce the risk. These include:

• Get cholesterol levels checked every five years after they turn 25
• Keep their blood pressure under control
• Quit smoking and drinking
• Increase their physical activity to minimum 30 minutes every day, and most days of the week
• Eat a less fat-based diet and a more plant-based diet

Erectile dysfunction
ED is more common than we think, specially among men who have had their prostate removed or those with diabetes. Also, men suffering from ED are 1.6 times more prone to strokes or heart attacks. The best thing for men to do is to consult their physician, and especially get their testosterone levels checked regularly.

Prostate cancer
According to statistics, 1 out of every 6 men are affected by prostate cancer during their lifetime. Men who have had a father or brother who developed prostate cancer early or those who are of African-American descent should consider talking to their physician and doing a screening, since they possess a greater risk of developing the same. Prostate cancer screening test is a simple blood test that looks for the PSA (prostate-specific antigen).

While a higher PSA doesn’t indicate the presence of prostate cancer, it is a cause of worry and one can catch it quickly in the benign state before it gets worse. Men should also go to their physicians if they are facing urinary problems such as urinary frequency, urgency, incomplete emptying of bladder or slower stream.

Depression and suicide
Not many are aware of this, but depression, which has always been associated more with women, affects men in large numbers; more than 6 million men worldwide suffer from depressive disorders of various kinds. Since men will generally hide their feeling and cope by either drinking or getting aggressive and angry, they should reach out to their close friends and family and then doctors. Exercising, penning down thoughts and generally talking to people can help a great deal.