62% of men don’t go for check-ups: Poll
abu dhabi — As much as 62 per cent of men in the UAE do not schedule annual medical checkups and are unaware of the cancer risks they are exposed to, a recent survey has revealed.
The study of 1,000 people living in the UAE found that more than two-thirds of the men may be putting themselves at risk of advanced prostate and testicular cancers by not knowing the symptoms of the disease and failing to schedule an annual check-up with their doctor.
The survey, commissioned by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, showed that 62 per cent men admitted that they do not schedule an annual check-up with their doctor and also did not know about the common risk factors for prostate cancer.
A total of 28 per cent claimed they were too busy to see a doctor; and 22 per cent said they were too scared to visit one.
When sick or in pain, only 31 per cent said they would seek medical advice immediately, while 29 per cent would wait as long as possible to see if they felt better and 15 per cent would look for solutions online.
The survey, which is part of the hospital’s annual men’s health campaign ‘MENtion It’, found that about 79 per cent did not know how to conduct a testicular cancer self-exam.
Cancer can be asymptomatic
“Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, while testicular cancer is the most common malignancy among men between 20 and 40 years old. Too many men are unaware of the health risks they face
and the actions they should be taking to ensure they have the best quality of life,” explained Dr Waleed A. Hassen, the department chair of urology in the surgical subspecialties institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Dr Hassen said the survey highlighted a gap in community awareness about common and curable cancers that affect men.
“One of the challenges that we face is that prostate cancer is considered a disease of ageing, which is not the case, and is also one of the most asymptomatic cancers. This means we typically only see patients at a very advanced stage. We encourage men to start scheduling routine check-ups with their urologist from the age of 40 and pay attention to even the slightest change in urination patterns or pain.”
Men surveyed for the study said that they were less likely to discuss urological issues with their doctors, with only 29 per cent agreeing to comfortably doing so in comparison to other health issues, including heart health (50 per cent), respiratory health (43 per cent), mental health (39 per cent) and general wellness (69 per cent).