Health Tips for Men 50 and Older

Starting at age 50, most men should see their doctor each year for a checkup, particularly if they have any signs of cardiovascular disease, one of the two leading causes of death in men. (The other is cancer.)

Sacramento internal medicine physician Drew Factor, M.D., MPH, of Sutter Medical Group, works closely with his male patients age 50 and older on managing any chronic conditions and getting the right preventive care to keep them healthy, active and mentally sharp for years to come.

“Becoming older doesn’t have to mean becoming unhealthy,” he says. “However, age does add complexity to staying healthy because there are more possible problems to look out for. In addition, your body is also much less resilient, so what might have been a small accident or minor illness when you were a young man can be a major problem for you now.”

Having a primary care doctor you trust and a “medical home” where all of your care can be coordinated also becomes more important. Depending on your health status, you may see more specialists and get more medical tests after age 50. Without coordinated care, it can be difficult to keep on top of all this information by yourself, Dr. Factor notes.

Recommended Tests

Cardiovascular disease is typically one of the top concerns in males 50 and older. Luckily, with good management, cardiovascular disease doesn’t have to result in a heart attack or stroke.

Measuring blood glucose levels can help identify if you are in the danger zone for developing diabetes.

At age 50, a colonoscopy is recommended to screen for colon cancer. Perhaps the most invasive screening test, it only needs to happen each decade after the first exam at age 50.

You are now also at the age where the prostate gland can begin to make itself known – with changes in patterns of urination. Not all changes indicate cancer, but it’s time to start checking.

Dr. Factor says that when you turn 50, you should talk with your doctor about prostate specific antigen screening and digital rectal exams for prostate cancer. While PSA screening was once routinely recommended for all men, recommendations are now more nuanced.

“This is a topic to review with your doctor," he says. "I think most men would want to know if cancer cells are present. Then they can engage in an informed discussion with their doctor about which treatment option might be best – including watchful waiting with regular testing." Read more about the PSA test.

Men in their 50s also fall into the recent recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that those born between 1945 and 1965 be screened for hepatitis C. This infectious disease can remain in the body, silently doing damage to the liver. A simple blood test can reveal evidence of exposure to the hepatitis C virus, so treatment options can be discussed.

Some Tests You May Not Need

Dr. Factor notes that not every test you may have heard of is actually recommended for good health. With the very real fear of cancer, some patients request a "cancer test" like CA 125 or CEA.

"These tests are tumor markers, and are used to monitor the status of a patient already diagnosed with a particular cancer, and to evaluate their response to treatment," he says. "These tumor markers are not great screening tests and are not considered appropriate cancer tests for the general public."

He also explains that testing a man’s testosterone level is not necessarily required. "Testosterone will naturally decline some as a man ages," Dr. Factor says. "But a man with a truly abnormal testosterone level will usually have severe symptoms – and that situation is pretty uncommon."

If you are fatigued or having sexual problems, a visit to the doctor for a physical exam and careful history is the best place to start. Stress, poor diet, sleep apnea or other conditions are far more likely to be causing your symptoms than a dropping level of testosterone, Dr. Factor says.

“Men are socialized to not complain and have an amazing ability to power through difficulties,” Dr. Factor says. “But to power through symptoms, pain and physical warning signs is not so admirable. Talk to your doctor honestly about what issues you face so that you can work together to keep you healthy and active for a long time to come.”