In today’s world, diseases are more and more common and it seems like there’s a new type of virus that comes out almost every year. People die every day and almost all deaths are caused by illness or disease.
Statistically, men have a shorter life expectancy than women, but there are some diseases that are more likely to kill men.
- Heart Disease
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, killing 347,879 men in 2017—that’s about 1 in every 4 male deaths.
Heart disease cannot be avoided completely but you can take practical steps now to reduce the risk of you getting heart disease:
- Have a balanced meal and monitor your cholesterol levels.
- Get regular exercise.
- Reduce sugar intake especially if you have been diagnosed with diabetes.
- Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is a growing concern and it is important that you get a scan every now and then. You cannot prevent prostate cancer but it can be treated if it is detected in its early stages.
According to Cancer Treatment Centers of America, some early symptoms of prostate cancer are:
- Burning or pain during urination
- Difficulty urinating, or trouble starting and stopping while urinating
- More frequent urges to urinate at night
- Loss of bladder control
- Decreased flow or velocity of the urine stream
- Blood urine (hematuria)
- Blood in semen
- Difficulty getting an erection (erectile dysfunction)
- Painful ejaculation
- Diabetes
Diabetes is also another common killer in men. Your eating habits and lifestyle will also play into this. It is recommended to get blood sugar levels tested every now and then to always be aware of your body’s status with diabetes as there are 2 types:
- Type 1 diabetes: is diagnosed during childhood. This is treated by using insulin.
- Type 2 diabetes: a common form of diabetes. This is treated by having a strict diet and/or by using medication.
- Lung Cancer
Boehringer Indelheim defines lung cancer as “growth of abnormal cells lining the air passages inside the lung tissue. These cells divide and grow more rapidly than normal cells and combine to form a cluster or tumor. Lung cancer is not just one disease.”
Lung cancer is usually caused by:
- Smoking
- Radon
- Exposure to certain chemicals and substances that may cause lung cancer
Lung cancer can be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle. This involves having a balanced diet, avoiding smoking, and getting regular exercise.
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a contagious disease that can be spread to others through inhalation of airborne droplets from an infected person’s sneeze or cough.
According to Healthline, these are the common symptoms of pneumonia:
- Coughing that may produce phlegm (mucus)
- Fever
- Sweating or chills
- Shortness of breath that happens while doing normal activities or even while resting
- Chest pain that’s worse when you breathe or cough
- Feelings of tiredness or fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headaches
Prevention is Better than Cure
That statement could not be more true in this case. It is possible for us to prevent ourselves from contracting diseases but we can’t control everything that happens to us. The important part to remember is that we can reduce the risk.