MEDICAL TESTING: TAKING INVENTORY OF YOUR HEALTH
Your Forties
Age 40 is when it’s time to step up your tests, generally getting them every other year instead of every three. It’s also time to start tending to your lower half. Your risk for colon cancer rises sharply when you hit your mid-forties, and your risk for prostate cancer increases as well. In addition to the other aforementioned tests, get this test now, suggests Dr. Goldberg. He also notes that race and personal or family history of illness can change the timing and frequency of medical tests.
Rectal exam: Nobody wants one. Every 40-plus man needs one every year, says
Dr. Goldberg. A digital rectal exam (DRE) – in which your doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to feel your prostate-is your best line of defense against prostate cancer.
Not much changes between 40 and 50, so long as you’re continuing your regular tests about every two years. At age 50, start getting physicals annually and continue getting the DREs you started getting in your forties. Just add a couple more tests, and you’re set for life, says Dr. Goldberg.
Stool sample: During a DRE, the doctor will also take a tiny sample of stool to test for any traces of blood-a sign of cancer growth or development. Like DREs, this should be done every year, says Dr. Coulehan.
Sigmoidoscopy: Your 50th birthday is a good time to start having this test and then get it done every five years thereafter, says Dr. Goldberg. A sigmoidoscope is a thin, flexible, lighted instrument that actually lets the doctor look into your rectum and large intestine for polyps, or growths that might signal cancer. The test takes just a few minutes. And don’t worry. The sigmoidoscope is so thin and flexible, doctors say that although the test is uncomfortable, it is not painful. If you are at higher risk because of family or personal history, your doctor may recommend more inclusive tests such as colonoscopy or a barium enema at an earlier age.
PSA screening: PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening is a blood test that checks for a compound that is produced exclusively by the prostate gland. Significant increases in this compound can indicate a problem, such as prostate cancer. You should have this test done every year starting at age 50, says Dr. Goldberg, unless you are at high risk because of your family history or if you are an African-American.
*62/36/5*
Post a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.