DIY Health MOT

Keep an eye on your own health with our DIY MOT. You need absolutely no medical knowledge whatsoever and little more equipment than a tape measure. 

Ten questions to ask yourself

1. Are you breathless? Difficulty catching your breath or losing balance while dressing are signs of being unfit. This can lead to injury and put added pressure on the heart. Get exercising and stub out those cigarettes.
2. Do you have pains in his chest or legs? Check your pulse rate. If it's racing or irregular or you get dizzy when standing up quickly, then your heart may be under strain.
3. Are you consuming large amounts of saturated fats? A mixed diet containing fruit and veg and foods with omega-3 oils (such as fatty fish) can help to reduce heart disease risk.
4. Are you thirsty all the time? Check to see if there is a history of diabetes in your family.
5. Do you have unusual-looking moles? Look for changes in size and colour. Ask your partner to look in areas you can't see easily, like your back.
6. Are you waking up in the night? If you can't sleep, lack concentration and are snappy, it could be depression.
7. Do you have erection problems? Impotence can be due to a physical problem - such as diabetes or hypertension - or emotional problem. One in ten men suffers from impotence. But 75 per cent of erectile dysfunction is due to a physical not emotional problem. If you have an erection when sleeping, the problem is probably emotional not physical. See your GP.
8. Are you getting a gut? Weight usually goes on the midriff first and this is a risk factor in heart disease. The rounder a man is around the tum, the greater the possibility of heart disease and diabetes.
9. Have you lumps in your testicles? Women can spot the problem first, often during sex. You don't need to conduct medical examinations during lovemaking but you may notice differences while having a feel. Squeeze them gently. Look out for a hard lump on the front or side of a testicle, swelling or enlargement, an increase in firmness and any difference between one and the other.
10. Does you always need to pee? Frequent urination, having to rush to the loo or even not being able to go at all, can indicate a prostate problem. If you often need the loo several times during the night, see your GP. 

Ten tests you can do at home

TEST 1:Tummy

As a guide, if your waist is more than 37 inches then you are getting into the obese range. More than 40 inches across the belly button is dangerously obese. For a more accurate guide, check your Body Mass Index (BMI).

Why is it important?

Two-thirds of men are overweight or even clinically obese, compared with half of all women. Obese men of all ages are at risk of serious problems, including heart disease and diabetes. The risk can be reduced immediately by weight loss through exercise. In some cases all it takes is a brisk 15-minute daily walk to lift a man right out of the high risk group for heart disease.

TEST 2:Testicles

Examine your testicles once a month for any lumps or changes. Do it regularly so you know what is normal for you. If you notice any changes visit your GP. Click here to learn how.

Why is it important?

This is the most common cancer among men aged between 20 and 35 but blokes of any age can fall foul of it. It's curable in more than 90 per cent of cases if caught early.

TEST 3: Behaviour

Look at your behaviour honestly. Are you drinking too much? Do you have a short fuse? Or do you think about suicide? Visit your doctor or talk to the Samaritans (0845 7909090).

Why is it important?

Men are three times more likely to kill themselves than women. The suicide rate is particularly high for those aged 25 to 44. According to the Depression Alliance charity one in seven men who become unemployed will develop depression within six months of losing their job. Depression is grossly under-diagnosed among UK men because it's difficult to talk about. But it can be treated.

TEST 4: Nails

Check your nails. If they are very pale under your nail beds (they should be pink) and the creases in your hands are pale, you may be anaemic. See your GP.

Why is it important?

Anaemia is a deficiency in the number of red blood cells and sufferers tend to look pale and feel very lethargic. It can be the sign of something more serious, such as cancer of the bowel, stomach or blood. If you are very tired, there is a chance you could be anaemic.

TEST 5: Diabetes awareness

In case of any combination of increased thirst, tiredness, thrush infections and weight gain, see your GP.

Why is it important?

You may have diabetes - a lack of insulin which prevents the body metabolising sugars. There are 680,000 men with adult-onset diabetes but one million undiagnosed cases because of ignorance about warning signs. Diabestes can treated with diet and insulin treatment but it still has serious complications, including kidney failure, blindness, heart disease and amputations. They can be avoided with early diagnosis.

TEST 6: Moles

Check your moles and tell your GP about any changes in size or shape including bleeding, crusting, itching or inflammation.

Why is it important?

Melanoma, a type of cancer accounts, for three out of four of all deaths from the skin disease. In both sexes it is rapidly increasing - cases have doubled over the last 15 years. Early diagnosis is crucial. Men are less likely than women to use sun cream on their hols, a simple precaution make sure you slap plenty on.

TEST 7: Waterworks

Monitor how often you go to the loo at night and whether you have trouble passing water or blood in the urine.

Why is it important?

This may be a sign that the prostate is enlarged. If it is, it may be cancerous. Prostate cancer can be detected with a simple prostate specific antigen (PSA) test at your local surgery. Prostate cancer claims 10,000 men a year - four times as many deaths as women with cervical cancer. It generally affects blokes over the age of 45.

TEST 8: Penis

Look for any discharge, discolouration of the penis, or small growths. Click here for details of your nearest genito-urinary clinic. Treatment is confidential.

Why is it important?

Sexually-transmitted diseases are on the increase. These include hepatitis, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. So make sure you use a condom if you have sex.

TEST 9: Bowels

Look for changes in your bowel habits. If you have constipation one minute, then diarrhoea and/or blood in your stools, you must see your GP.

Why is it important?

They may be symptoms of bowel cancer, the third most common form of the disease in men and the second-biggest cancer killer in Britain. The symptoms are often indications of less sinister conditions, such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, or piles but if you notice anything wrong see your doctor as soon as possible.

TEST 10: Blood pressure

This one you'll have to go to your GP or pharamacy for. Have your blood pressure checked every three years if under 40 and yearly if over. (At the same time you could ask your doctor for a cholesterol test and mention chest or leg pains.)

Why is it important?

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a main cause of heart disease. It blocks arteries and is a huge killer. Serious symptoms include tunnel vision and blood in your urine. More than 74,000 UK men died from heart attacks in 1998 and men are three times more likely to suffer one under the age of 65 than women. A lot of men mistake cardiac pain for indigestion. But if indigestion remedies don't work or the pain comes on with exercise or you feel sick, it's more likely to be your heart.

Sally Janes