Posted: 6/8/2022
‘Men can act on their healthcare concerns rather than react'
Celebrated each year during June, Men’s Health Month highlights ways to enrich men’s wellness through screenings and educational campaigns. This month allows Parkland Health providers to raise awareness about men’s healthcare by encouraging them to focus on healthy living decisions such as exercising, eating healthy and scheduling routine primary care check-ups.
Some of the biggest health issues faced by men include heart disease, prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health, including suicide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, followed by cancer. The Prostate Health Guide reports that each year more than 230,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 30,000 will die from the disease.
According to the American Cancer Society, the average age at the time of diagnosis of testicular cancer is about 33. While the disease mostly impacts young and middle-aged men, about 6% of cases occur in children and teens, and about 8% occur in men over the age of 55. The ACS estimates that this year, about 9,910 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed.
“In the lifetime of testicular cancer, things do not happen usually overnight. To increase awareness, I advise young men to do a self-exam, like checking themselves in the shower and see if anything feels unusual,” said Waddah Arafat, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Genitourinary Medical Oncologist and Testicular Cancer expert at Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Assistant Professor, in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern. He says the warning signs to look out for include feeling a painless or painful lump in the testicle, noticing a change in the size or shape of the testicle, or dull aches in the lower part of the abdomen.
Precancerous cells are present at a very early age, sometimes in the first 10 years of life, Dr. Arafat said, noting that undescended testicles are the highest risk factor.
“Left uncorrected, this increases the risk of cancer,” he said. “One solution is an early surgical intervention to bring the testicle down to its normal location.”
Although testicular cancer is mainly seen in young adults, other medical conditions are more prevalent in other age groups. The 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment showed that men in ZIP codes in southern Dallas County face a higher incidence of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease.
Healthcare experts at Parkland Health recommend that men use Men’s Health Month as a starting point to find a routine that works for them, maintain regular healthcare visits, and if something doesn’t feel right, act right away. “Each decade brings on new health issues, and by participating in regular check-ups, men can act on their healthcare concerns rather than react,” said Noel Santini, MD, MBA, FACP, VP & Senior Medical Director, Ambulatory and Population Medicine at Parkland Health.
Dr. Santini says regular visits to a healthcare provider should include risk assessments for future medical problems, screenings for cancer, (including testicular, colon, prostate, skin and other cancers), vaccination updates and goal-setting for healthy diet/lifestyle choices. In addition, medical experts suggest men of all ages should get to know their numbers for blood pressure, body mass index, triglycerides, cholesterol and blood glucose and have them checked regularly.
Parkland’s Access to Care and Coverage Program makes it easy for men to receive healthcare services, screenings such as blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and other help to live a healthy life. All services are provided at no cost and no appointment is needed. Visits with Parkland will take about 20 minutes.
For more information on services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhealth.org. For the locations of Access to Care and Coverage Pop-Ups, please visit www.parklandhealth.org/connect.