Unexplained bleeding
Any unexplained bleeding – coughing up blood (lung cancer), unusual vaginal bleeding (cervical or endometrial cancer), blood in stool (colon or rectal cancer), blood in urine (bladder or kidney cancer), or bloody nipple discharge (breast cancer) – should be brought to your doc’s attention.
Impotence
Research in the European Cardiology Review found a link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Arteries to the penis are smaller than elsewhere in the body, so they may become blocked even before a man has any other signs of heart disease. “It’s embarrassing. Many men just want to get a prescription and avoid discussing the problem with their doctor,” says cardiologist Dr Nieca Goldberg. “But it’s really important that they not dismiss it and get evaluated for heart disease.” If men have other risk factors, such as a family history of heart disease, the doctor may recommend advanced screening tests such as a coronary calcium scan.
These are the 10 most common causes of erectile dysfunction.
Inflamed gums
Gum disease could increase the risk of heart disease by 20 percent, according to a study in the Journal of the Indian Society of Periodontology. “The link has to do with the body’s response to inflammation,” says Stuart Froum, DDS, director of clinical research at NYU College of Dentistry. Frequent cleanings (every three to six months) by a dentist can usually control early-stage gum disease. Treating gum disease was associated with fewer hospitalisations among people with heart disease or type 2 diabetes, according to a 2014 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.