The Truth about Men

Men – powerful, strong, virile,protecting and providing for the family.

But are men really stronger? It is now common knowledge that men’s life expectancy is lower than women’s. According to the UN World Population Prospects 2011 Revision released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs,Population Division, the average life expectancy of Malaysian men is about 71 years, while in women it is closer to 76 years.

“One of the biggest problems is that men don’t tend to use healthcare, even if it is just consultation with their GP,” says Dr Peter Ng Eng Pin, consultant urological surgeon at Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya. “Men’s attitudes tend to be ‘I have to be really ill before I see the doctor’ or ‘it’s just a minor illness, I can fight it off myself’. But men must realise that they are not invulnerable.

”It seems that taking care of their health is just not part of the big picture when it comes to men. Dr Ng compares this with women, who are more detail orientated and thus notice the little changes and problems that can crop up from time to time. Unfortunately for men, health is all about the little details, and so they tend to lose out by not paying attention.

In Malaysia, men above the age of 45 years do tend to have the awareness that they should go for general checkups and screenings. In a normal clinical assessment, the doctor will note down your bio metrics, take your health and family history, check on current complaints and do a general systems review of your body.

If there are symptoms or risk factors present, the doctor will recommend screenings for heart disease, hypertension,diabetes or osteoporosis (in older men).

Men below the age of 45 years usually do not require annual screenings,unless they lead an excessive lifestyle,or there is family history of a disease.For example, if your father had a heart attack in his 40s, it is a good idea for you to get a full check up and screen for heart disease, cholesterol or hypertension before you reach that age. It is highly likely that you have the same health problems that your father had, even if the symptoms are not yet present.

This article was contributed to Tab A Doctor by,
Dr Peter Ng Eng Pin, Urologist, Sime Darby Medical Centre