What should be include in physical exam for gay men

Tests to expect Vaccine recommendations Costs. That rationale, unfortunately, neglects all the valuable elements of an annual physical exam. For example, a year-old college student may feel perfectly fine, but could benefit from individualized counseling or screening tests dependent on risky habits or family history.

A year-old man may be tied up with work and family demands, but taking time to review preventive health strategies could pay health dividends for decades. This type of checkup can identify current health problems that may have no obvious symptoms—anything from high cholesterol to high blood pressure.

It can also identify your risk for developing future health issues based on a combination of physical symptoms, family history, and social habits. Based on these findings, your healthcare provider may recommend lifestyle changes that improve current health conditions—and prevent future disease.

Sexual health for gay and bisexual men

When you visit your primary care provider for a yearly exam, you can expect the following:. A combination of paper questionnaires and informal interview questions will provide the information your healthcare provider needs to determine what screening tests are recommended and what lifestyle changes are advisable.

The most important part of the appointment is actually not the physical exam itself. A majority of the medical decision making is guided by the written and verbal answers you provide. For example, high risk sexual habits may lead to infectious disease screening, long-term smoking may lead to lung cancer screening, and depression diagnosis could lead to discussion of treatment options.

Together, this data allows for calculation of body mass index BMIwhich will classify you as normal weight, underweight, overweight, or obese. While sometimes uncomfortable to talk about, your weight classification may qualify you for nutritional counseling or result in testing for weight-related complications, like heart disease or sleep apnea.

Vital signs, like blood pressure and heart rate, will also be recorded. These numbers can be important in determining your future risk of heart or circulation problems. Treating high blood pressure could reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke in the future.

Your healthcare provider will also examine you from head to toe while making note of various details, such as the appearance of any moles, the sound of your heart and lungs, and the feel of your lymph nodes. The look, feel, and sound of these elements of your exam could provide a clue to an underlying disease process, one that may not be obvious to you.

The screening tests you need are based on the results of the question and examination portions of the annual physical exam. These will also guide recommended lifestyle changes and treatments. At the end of the exam, you should feel better educated about your current health. You should know what you are doing well and what you could improve on when it comes to being proactive about your health.

Finally, your what should be include in physical exam for gay men provider will review what immunizations you have previously received, if this information is available. You will then get a personalized list of recommended vaccines, which depend on age and risk factors.

The pertinent risk factors to consider are numerous. They include social elements, like smoking and sexual habits; medical history, like chronic diseases and immune problems; and surgical history, like prior spleen removal. Screening questions for depression, smoking, drug use, and sexual history are also valuable on an annual basis.

Cancer screening tests are recommended for certain men. For example, colorectal cancer screening is routinely initiated at age 45, based on new guidelines in Colon cancer screening may be advisable at younger ages for some men. The screening might involve a colonoscopy or a stool test.

While not universally recommended, men over 50 should discuss the option of prostate cancer screening using a digital rectal examination and a blood test. Depending on age, long-term smokers may consider a CT scan of the lungs to look for early lung cancer and consider an ultrasound looking for an abdominal aortic aneurysm, an abnormal blood vessel enlargement in the abdomen.