Routine Health Checkups and screening guidelines for men in their 60s
Which exam you need and when:
Regular health exams and screenings are necessary and help your doctor detect diseases and conditions at the initial stages when they are the most treatable.
Find out which screenings men should have and when to have them:
1. Physical exam:
Get a preventive exam every 1 to 2 years. The physical exam starts with the measurement of biometrics like height and weight or BMI. Vital signs like pulse or heart rate and blood pressure are checked. These parameters are important to determining the future risk of heart or circulation problems. Your physician will do a physical examination from head to toe and will check every mole like their appearance, lymph nodes or any abnormal swelling present in the body.
2. Blood pressure:
Have your blood pressure checked frequently especially, If you have heart problems, diabetes, kidney problems or certain conditions you may need to have your blood pressure checked more often.
It is estimated that up to a 3rd of individuals have high blood pressure and some are unaware because they do not experience any symptoms
3. Cholesterol screening:
Cholesterol screening is recommended for all men above the age of 34 regularly and repeated every 5 years. Some men also require getting tested at an earlier age if they have a strong family history of cardiac disease, vascular disease, hypertension and diabetes to certain health complications
4. Diabetic Screening:
Men should be screened for diabetes every 3 years, screening should begin earlier for those who are overweight or have a family history of diabetes. Testing for diabetes usually includes HbA1c tests, a fasting glucose test and an oral glucose intolerance test.
5. Skin exam:
Skin examination should be done yearly. Examination of mole and any abnormal skin texture should have examined by a physician for early signs of cancer.
6. Testicular Exam:
Yearly tests are important for signs of testicular cancer.
7. Prostate cancer screening:
The prostate antigen (PSA) test has been widely used to screen men for prostate cancer. If you are 55 years and younger than that you may not need to get tested for prostate cancer.
But if you have a family history of prostate cancer and symptoms like dysuria and incontinence of urination you may need to get tested for BPH and kindly talk to your health provider about risk factors of prostate cancer.
8. Colonoscopy:
people at average risk should start screening at the age of 50.
- Stool sample: every year
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy: every 5 to 10 years
- Colonoscopy: every 10 years
9. Lung cancer screening:
Men over 55 who currently smoke or have quit smoking in the past 15 years may need routine screening for lung cancer. Talk to a doctor about your risk factors.
10. Osteoporosis screening:
Men between the age of 50-70 are highly prone to develop osteoporosis. It can mainly occur in men with a history of prolonged steroid use, low body weight, smoking and abuse of alcohol or a family history of osteoporosis.
11. Eye exam:
Get your eye checkup done once or twice a year, especially a retinal examination if you are diabetic to avoid complications.
12. Dental exam:
A dental examination should be done once or twice a year.
13. Immunization:
- Flu shots: once a year
- Pneumococcal vaccine: once protects against pneumonia
- Herpes Booster: once prevents shingles
For more information, you can visit Healthline and WebMD.
