A guide to preventive health care for 50-year-old men

One of the best ways to have good health is preventive health care. Some screening tests help your doctor detect your health problems early and recommend appropriate interventions. Those tests include:

High blood pressure can cause heart attack, stroke, eye and kidney disease, etc. Meanwhile, sometimes you don't know you have high blood pressure. That's why it's important to check your blood pressure even if you think you're perfectly fine. If your blood pressure is less than 120/80, you should have your blood pressure checked once a year. If your blood pressure is higher then you will need to have your blood pressure checked more often.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. One of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease is high cholesterol. So, at age 20, you should start getting cholesterol tested at least every 4-6 years. Blood tests will help you know your cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease. As you age, your risk of cardiovascular disease increases. In your 50s, you need to continue to get screened and checked for cholesterol.

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death in 50-year-old men. As you turn 50, your risk increases. So, if you're at risk, your doctor will recommend getting screened for colon cancer. The frequency of screening depends on the doctor's order. Common screening tests include:
Colonoscopy: every 10 years; Fecal occult blood test: 1 time/year; Colonoscopy: every 5 years, combined with occult blood detection every 3 years; Stool DNA testing looks for DNA mutations; Computed tomography, which uses X-rays to take pictures of the colon. During a colonoscopy, doctors can detect and remove precancerous polyps from your colon.

This is a way to check your risk of osteoporosis - a condition that can weaken your bones. It is recommended for men 70 years of age and older. If you are at high risk for osteoporosis, your doctor may order a bone density test earlier, for example at age 50.

Experts also recommend that men 65 to 75 years of age, who have smoked at any point in their lives, be screened for abdominal aortic aneurysms. The doctor will do an ultrasound to look for enlarged blood vessels in the abdomen. These blood vessels, when ruptured, can cause severe bleeding and even death.
If you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, your doctor may recommend surgery. If you have a family history of this condition, you should talk to your doctor about early screening.

In the health care of 50-year-old men, screening for depression is essential. Depression is a common cause of disability in adults. It can co-occur with chronic diseases and aging conditions. This is not part of the aging process and can be treated.
So if you feel sad, hopeless or uninterested in the things you used to love, talk to your doctor. Based on the question - answer, the doctor can assess whether you have depression or not and give appropriate advice.

Diabetes if not detected and treated early can cause many dangerous complications such as blindness, kidney disease or amputation of limbs. Therefore, you should talk to your doctor about how often to get screened for diabetes.

Besides doing enough screening tests, 50-year-old men also need to pay attention to vaccinations and make lifestyle changes in a more positive direction.
As you get older, you will need to get certain vaccines to fight many diseases. These vaccines are:
Influenza vaccination: 1 dose/year; Pneumonia vaccine: You can get a pneumonia shot if you are over 65 years old and have liver disease, diabetes, asthma or any other lung disease or problems with your immune system; Shingles vaccine: 2 doses 2-6 months apart. At the same time, you can take better care of your health if:
Don't smoke; Have a healthy diet; Exercise regularly; Maintain a healthy weight; Safe sex. Men 50 years old should be regularly screened for health problems and combined with vaccinations and lifestyle adjustments in a more scientific direction. It is imperative that you go to the doctor regularly even if you do not have any unusual health symptoms.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early, so that there are treatment plans for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy.
Results of the patient's examination will be returned to the home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.