Issue Date: June 5, 2005
Men, you get these diseases, too
The American Heart Association has made a big effort to make sure women realize heart disease is not just a "male" problem. By the same token, it's important for men to understand that certain health problems generally associated with women can affect us as well.
A few of these include:
Early detection is the key to curing all these "women's"illnesses.
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Breast cancer. Although far more common in women, it does occur in men. What's more, as infrequent as breast cancer is (about one case per 100,000 men), the rate does seem to be increasing over time. But not nearly as much is known about the disease in men as in women. Male patients tend to be older, and the cancer tends to be more advanced when discovered, probably because men tend to ignore lumps longer before seeing a doctor.
The odds that a lump is benign are in men's favor. But the possibility of breast cancer does exist -- and as with women, the sooner it is diagnosed and treatment begins, the better the chances for a complete recovery.
Osteoporosis. Most of us know women who have brittle bones after menopause, but many people don't understand that aging men are at risk as well. Men diagnosed with osteoporosis tend to have more severe disease, and a higher risk of breaking bones, than women. As with breast cancer, this is likely to be because men go longer before visiting their doctor. Consequently, while a man's risk of developing osteoporosis is lower than a woman's, the risk of a bad outcome is actually higher.
A number of risk factors for osteoporosis have been identified. If you have several, you should talk to your doctor about testing for bone density. The risk factors include old age, history of a "low-trauma" fracture after age 40, family history of fractures after age 50 (especially a hip fracture), lean build, inactive lifestyle, excessive drinking, low calcium intake and smoking. Any older man at risk of falls (poor vision, muscle weakness in legs, history of falls) also should consider an evaluation.
Eating disorders. Almost every movie of the week addressing eating disorders is about a girl or woman. Yet certain eating disorders occur with some frequency in men as well. As many as 1 million U.S. men suffer from anorexia or bulimia, and millions more suffer from binge-eating disorder. Because many boys think only girls get eating disorders, they may not have the insight to understand when their eating patterns become problematic.
With eating disorders, it's important to remember the problem is less about food than about self-esteem and other underlying emotional problems. Guys with eating disorders generally have low self-esteem, so they often don't want to compound their feelings of inadequacy by being diagnosed with a "girls' disease." Unfortunately, this sometimes means being diagnosed later in the course of the illness, when more damage may have been done.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., is medical director of the Cooper Clinic's Wellness Program.
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