Sometimes everyday symptoms can be a sign of a more serious disease. Experts reveal the nine health symptoms men should never ignore.
- Erectile Dysfunction
Could be: Heart disease
Doctors are increasingly warning that erectile dysfunction can often be an early warning sign of heart disease.
“The body needs a good blood supply for an erection – and erectile problems are actually a very clear barometer of cardiovascular health,” said Raj Persad, an urologist at Bristol Royal Infirmary.
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- Developing ‘moobs’
Could be: Hormone imbalance, liver disease
In most cases, if a man develops what appears to be breasts, it is not breast tissue, but fatty tissue which has grown because he is overweight.
However, sometimes men do form breast tissue, and in this case the condition is known medically as gynecomastia. The condition is caused by an imbalance between the hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Oestrogen causes breast tissue to grow, but normally men have much higher levels of testosterone, which stops the oestrogen from triggering this. But if the balance of hormones changes, this can cause a man’s breasts to grow.
It can also be a sign of liver disease, as when the organ becomes damaged, the balance of hormones in the body changes and can cause gynecomastia.
Men worried they are developing breasts should go to a doctor, who can feel them and see if they are simply fatty tissue, or breast tissue.
- Needing to pee in the middle of the night
Could be: Prostate cancer, enlarged prostate
The prostate is a gland the size and shape of a walnut whose main role is to make semen. It lies underneath the bladder, and so if there is any change in the size of the gland, it can affect a man’s urination habits as it presses on the urethra, the tube through which urine flows.
Having difficulty peeing, straining or taking a long time to finish urinating or having a weak flow when urinating or feeling as though the bladder is not fully empty could also be signs. Men with these symptoms should contact their doctor, who can carry out tests to assess if the man has a benign prostatic enlargement, a non-cancerous growth of the gland.
Your doctor can also assess whether there is a chance he has prostate cancer, which can be detected through a blood test, a physical exam and a biopsy.
- No sense of smell or a change in libido
Could be: Problems with fertility
“If a man notices a change in his libido, that could be an endocrine [hormonal] problem,” said Mr Michael Dooley, a consultant gynecologist at the Poundbury Clinic at King Edward VII’s Hospital.
It could be indicative of hypo gonadotrophic hypogonadism, a condition where, in men, the testicles do not produce enough male hormones.
This leads to a lack of sex drive, and fertility problems, he explained.
“A lack of smell is another sign that the testicles aren’t working properly,” he added.
Lack of smell, or anosmia as its known medically, is associated with Kallman’s syndrome, a similar genetic disorder in which the lack of male hormones leads to delayed puberty.
- Lump in testicle
Could be: Testicular cancer
Lumps and swellings in the testicles are a relatively common symptom in boys and men.
The majority of lumps and swellings are caused by benign (non-cancerous) conditions that may not need treatment.
However, a lump could be a sign of testicular cancer. Men who notice a lump or abnormality in their testicles should always see their doctors. This is because treatment for testicular cancer is much more effective if the cancer is diagnosed early.
- Blood in your urine
Could be: Bladder cancer
Blood in the urine is the most common sign of bladder cancer, and is usually painless.
However, half of those with the disease will die from it, figures show.
Most cases of bladder cancer appear to be caused by exposure to harmful substances, which lead to abnormal changes in the bladder’s cells over many years.
Tobacco smoke is a common cause and it’s estimated that half of all cases of bladder cancer are caused by smoking.
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- Drinking heavily
Could be: Depression
In men, depression does not always display itself in the way we might think.
Classical symptoms include tearfulness, waking up early in the morning and other sleep disturbances, and experiencing loss of pleasure.
But men are more likely to have a “front” and their depression may not manifest itself in these ways, says Dr. John Chisholm, a former GP and chair of the Men’s Health Forum.
He told MailOnline: “Excessive drinking is something we flag up as a sign that things aren’t well … It puts their physical health at risk but it can also be a symptom of depression … It can precipitate behavior that is to be avoided, for example the association of drinking with domestic violence.”
RELATED: A man’s guide to healthy alcohol consumption
- Pain in the big toe
Could be: Gout
Gout is three to four times more likely in men than women. And it is even more common in older men, with 1 in 7 older men affected, compared to 1 in 16 older women.
The most common symptom of gout is sudden and severe pain in one or more joints, typically the big toe.
A type of arthritis, gout occurs when crystals of sodium urate form inside and around joints. It happens due to a build-up of uric acid, a waste product made in the body every day, in the blood.
- Lumps around the nipple
Could be: Male breast cancer
Many people don’t know that men can get breast cancer because they don’t think of men as having breasts
In fact, men have smaller amounts of breast tissue around their nipple, where can, on rare occasions, tumors can develop
Lumps, often painless, close to the nipple are the most common symptom, although they can also occur away from the nipple.
A tender or inverted nipple, or discharge, which is often blood-stained, are other signs of the disease, as well as swelling in the chest or ulcers forming in the area.
Most men who get breast cancer are over 60, although younger men can be affected.
The sooner breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome, so it’s important to get any symptoms checked out as quickly as possible.
Curated Article from the Daily Mail
