Four 'silent killers' affecting men that can be caught with a simple check

25 August 2023 , 15:18

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Between them these conditions account for millions of deaths each year but there are steps you can take to recognise your risk (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There's a stereotype that men are reluctant to take care of their health, but “silent killer” diseases can be picked up with simple checkups.

These deadly conditions don’t show any obvious outward symptoms, meaning they are often only discovered once it is too late.

These are some of the biggest killers in the UK. But fortunately by making healthy lifestyle choices and making sure you know the risk factors and get checked accordingly you might just save your life.

Heart disease

Heart and circulatory diseases cause more than 160,000 deaths each year – an average of 460 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK. According to the British Heart Foundation there are around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK: 4 million men and 3.6 million women.

The term includes a wide range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including heart failure, angina, coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. One of the reasosn the disease is so deadly is due to the lack of early warning signs. When blood pressure is too high, it puts an extra strain on a person’s blood vessels, heart, brain, and other organs including eyes and kidney. Persistently high blood pressure can lead to possibly deadly conditions. Another risk factor is high cholesterol and a family history of the disease - these risk factors can combine to cause a serious hazard to health.

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Prostate cancer

1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. If you're over 50, or you're black, or your dad or brother had it, you're at even higher risk, according to charity Prostate Cancer UK. Even without these risk factors you can still get it, it's the most common cancer in men. Unfortunately there are typically no symptoms until it has spread throughout the body, at which point the disease is no longer curable, only treatable.

If caught before this stage prostate cancer can be cured, the easiest way is with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. This simple blood test can give patients an early warning and research suggests regular PSA screening can decrease the risk of death by prostate cancer by over 25 percent. If you notice changes in how you wee, or if it becomes painful, it’s important to get it checked by your GP.

Hypertension

The medical term for high blood pressure, hypertension affects one in three adults in the UK. In England, 31% of men and 26% of women have high blood pressure, according to the Blood Pressure UK charity. But not many know it, half of people with high blood pressure are not diagnosed or receiving treatment. In England alone, there are more than five million people that are undiagnosed.

Chronic stress, poor diet, and family and genetic influences can all play a part in developing high blood pressure, as well as being overweight, smoking or living in a deprived area. Getting a diagnosis is important because high blood pressure can quietly cause damage over time, until one day something goes seriously wrong.

Fortunately it is easy to get your blood pressure checked at your GP surgery, some pharmacies also offer the service. You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.The NHS recommends all adults over 40 years old are have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years.

Diabetes

Diabetes UK says that 4.3 million Brits are living with a diagnosis of diabetes. The charity also estimate there are an additional 850,000 people living with diabetes who are yet to be diagnosed, making the overall UK-wide figure over five million. If left untreated the disease can cause serious complications. Every week, diabetes leads to 184 amputations, more than 770 strokes, 590 heart attacks and 2,300 cases of heart failure, the charity reports.

Diabetes can increase the risk of heart disease, and it can cause problems with the eyes, skin and nervous system. It’s easy for diabetes symptoms to go undetected, but frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss and blurred vision are all symptoms of the condition. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and scheduling routine check-ups can help prevent or catch these silent killers before it’s too late.

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