4 Common Men’s Health Problems: Warning Signs, Prevention, and Treatment Approaches

With today’s fast-paced lifestyle and the stresses of daily life, many men face health problems without realizing it. Conditions that are common in men such as, low testosterone, an enlarged prostate, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers, can be prevented and even fully cured if their warning signs are detected at an early stage. Age-appropriate health screening is therefore something every man, especially those aged 40 and over, should not overlook.


 

Testosterone Deficiency 

Testosterone is the most important male hormone. It is responsible for driving male characteristics and supporting good overall health, particularly sexual health. As men age, testosterone levels naturally decline. Statistics show that around 10–15% of men aged 40–49 have low testosterone, rising to as high as 50% in men aged 70 and over.

 

5 Warning Signs of Declining Testosterone

• Feeling fatigued even after getting enough sleep 
• Loss of muscle and increased body fat 
• Mood swings for no apparent reason
• A clearly reduced sex drive, sometimes accompanied by sexual performance problems 
• Poor concentration and difficulty remembering things

How to Prevent Testosterone from Declining

Adjusting certain lifestyle habits can help slow the age-related decline in testosterone:

• Maintain a healthy weight — excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, can lower testosterone levels.
• Exercise regularly — focus on resistance training alongside cardio exercise.
• Have a healthy diet — with a strong emphasis on protein, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats.
• Manage stress — chronic stress raises cortisol, which interferes with testosterone production.
• Limit or avoid alcohol — Heavy drinking lowers testosterone; abstain or limit yourself to no more than 1 drink per day.
• No smoking — Nicotine can lower testosterone levels.
• Get enough sleep — Testosterone is secreted most during sleep (the REM phase), so anyone with sleep apnea should consult a doctor for treatment.
• Check your hormone levels — A blood test takes less than 5 minutes but clearly reveals your hormonal health status.

How Is Testosterone Deficiency Treated?

A doctor may consider hormone replacement therapy, which today is available in a variety of forms depending on the cause, the patient’s needs, and their suitability, including:

• Hormone injections
• Skin patches
• Topical gel
• Oral medication

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (Enlarged Prostate)

The prostate is a small, walnut-sized organ located beneath the bladder. An enlarged prostate is a common condition that is linked to age. Statistics show that 50% of men aged 50 and over have an enlarged prostate, and the figure climbs to as high as 90% in men aged 80 and over. Unfortunately, 7 out of 10 Thai men have never had their prostate examined, and only do so after symptoms begin to affect their quality of life.

 

What Are the Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate?

• A weak urine stream
• Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Frequent urination or a sudden urge to urinate
• Needing to urinate at night
• See a doctor immediately if you experience the following: a sudden inability to urinate, blood in the urine, a high fever together with painful or burning urination, severe pain in the perineum or lower back, or urinating more than 3 times per night.

How Can an Enlarged Prostate Be Prevented?

The best form of prevention is screening before symptoms appear. Here is when you should start based on your age and risk:

• Men in general: Begin screening at age 50, and screen every 1–2 years.
• Family history of prostate disease: Begin screening at age 40–45, and screen every year.
• Abnormal urinary symptoms: See a doctor immediately and follow up as advised.
• East Asian and African men: Begin screening at age 40 and undergo screening every year.

 

How Is an Enlarged Prostate Treated?

1. Non-surgical treatment (for mild to moderate symptoms)

• Behavioral adjustments: If symptoms are very mild, treatment may not be needed yet, but you should avoid drinking large amounts of fluids or alcohol, especially before bed.
• Medication: A doctor may prescribe drugs to shrink the prostate (such as Finasteride) or to relax the smooth muscle in the prostate (Alpha-blockers).
• Steam (water vapor) therapy: A new endoscopic treatment technology that requires no hospital stay and does not affect sexual health.
• UROLIFT technique: An endoscope is used to implant 4–6 tiny devices that permanently pull the prostate tissue away from the urethra without cutting any tissue.

2. Surgical treatment (when medication is ineffective or severe complications occur)

• Endoscopic surgery: An endoscope is passed through the urethra to scrape away the obstructing tissue.
• HoLEP laser surgery: A laser removes all of the tissue blocking the urethra.
• PVP laser surgery: A laser removes part or all of the prostate.
• Open surgery: Used when the prostate is abnormally large, to remove the excess tissue.

Cardiovascular Disease

On average, men develop heart disease about 10 years earlier than women, due to biological, lifestyle, and behavioral factors. Men are less likely than women to talk about or seek help for stress and anxiety. Chronic stress raises blood pressure and stress-hormone levels, which restrict blood flow to the heart and speed up the buildup of calcium in the coronary arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Signs That You Should See a Doctor

Heart disease can cause many different symptoms depending on age, health history, and the type of heart disease. In its early stages, only mild signs may be noticeable, such as:

• Chest pain, tightness, or a burning sensation, especially when stressed or exerting yourself
• Palpitations or an irregular heartbeat that is clearly felt even while at rest
• Shortness of breath or tiring easily
• A persistent cough that will not go away
• Frequent severe headaches together with high blood pressure

How Can Heart Disease Be Prevented?

• Get an annual health check-up — heart disease does not always produce visible symptoms, so regular screening is essential.
• Exercise regularly — Do cardio exercises such as walking, running, or cycling, alongside resistance training to build muscle.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet — Emphasize vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and low-fat protein, and cut down on sweet, fatty, salty, and processed foods.
• Quit or limit alcohol — No more than 2 drinks per day.
• Quit smoking — Smoking harms organs throughout the body, including the heart.
• Maintain a healthy weight — Losing just 5% of your body weight can already help your heart work better.
• Talk about your feelings — Do not bottle up your emotions, share your stress with someone close to you or with a doctor.

How Is Heart Disease Treated?

Treatment approaches depend on the cause, the type of disease, and the severity in each individual patient. A doctor may combine various methods, ranging from behavioral changes and medication to modern treatment technologies, including:

Non-surgical treatment

• Medication and behavioral changes: For example, anticoagulant medication to prevent blood clots, drugs to lower or control blood lipid levels, or drugs to control the heart rate, combined with changing risk-factor behaviors.
• Coronary balloon angioplasty: To address narrowed arteries.
• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) without open surgery: Minimally invasive approach that reduces physical trauma and allows faster recovery.
• Treatment in the Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab: To treat heart-rhythm disorders, through electrophysiological diagnosis and various treatments. This includes ablating the source of the abnormal rhythm using a mapping system that locates electrical abnormalities, implanting a pacemaker, implanting a defibrillator, implanting a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device that coordinates the heart muscle's contractions, and left atrial appendage closure.

Surgical treatment

• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG): Surgery to create a bypass around a narrowed or blocked section of artery so blood can flow past it more easily.
• Fontan’s Operation: Surgery to treat congenital heart defects.
• Heart transplantations

Cancer in Men

More than 70% of cancers in men typically produce no symptoms in their early stages, but when detected at Stage 1 the survival rate within 5 years is as high as 90–99%. If left until Stage 4, the survival rate drops immediately to below 30%. The four major cancers that every man should watch out for are:

• Prostate Cancer: The most common cancer in men worldwide. It can occur at any age, but the risk rises as men get older, and it is most often detected in men over 65. Prostate cancer grows slowly, and when caught early the survival rate is as high as 99%.
• Colorectal Cancer: Although the incidence of colorectal cancer has fallen among people aged 50 and over, it has been rising in those under 50. Colorectal cancer usually begins as small polyps that take several years to turn into cancer. This window is the golden opportunity to detect and remove them. The survival rate is up to 91% when found early.
• Bladder Cancer: Found 3–4 times more often in men than in women, and more often fatal in men. It is associated with smoking and being exposed to chemicals in the workplace. Early-stage bladder cancer detection has a 96% survival rate.
• Lung Cancer: The cancer that kills the most men. Because the lungs have no pain-sensing nerves, the early stage produces almost no symptoms, and over 70% of cases are found only after the disease has already spread. When caught early, the survival rate is 63–92%, falling to just 7% at Stage 4.

General Warning Signs That Require Seeing a Doctor Immediately

• Unexplained weight loss of more than 5 kilograms within 1 month
• Chronic fatigue that does not improve
• An unusual lump or swelling anywhere in the body
• Abnormal bleeding, such as blood in the urine, blood in the stool, or coughing up blood
• Chronic pain with no clear cause

How Can Cancer Be Prevented and the Risk of It Occurring be Reduced?

Nearly half of cancers in adults may be preventable through changes in behavior, such as:

• Quitting smoking
• Quit or cut down on alcohol; if you choose to drink, have no more than 2 drinks per day.
• Eat a healthy diet, emphasizing vegetables, fruit, and whole grains
• Avoid or limit processed foods; reduce red meat and processed meats, sugary drinks, and refined grains
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Have regular health check-ups, and undergo cancer screening on the program best suited to your age and risk factors

How Is Cancer Treated?

There are many ways to treat cancer, depending on a number of factors — the type and stage of the disease, overall health, and the patient’s preferences. Cancer treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy
• Surgery
• Bone Marrow Transplant (also called a stem cell transplant from bone marrow)
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted Therapy
• Cryoablation
• Radiofrequency ablation

Being healthy is not a matter of luck but the result of prevention, paying attention to the body's warning signs, and regular screening. Bumrungrad Hospital is ready to care for men’s health at every stage of life with understanding, through a holistic approach to health care: from proactive screening that identifies each individual’s risks, to planning prevention before disease arises, all the way to treatment using world-class medical technology.