Free Health Checklist: Men at 40

Screen for medical issues

Assess your risk for future medical problems

Encourage a healthy lifestyle

Update vaccinations

Help you get to know your provider in case of an illness

Have your blood pressure checked at least once a year. If the top number (systolic number) is between 120 to 139 mm Hg or the bottom number (diastolic number) is between 80 to 89 mm Hg, then continue to have it checked every year.

If the top number is greater than 140 or the bottom number is greater than 90, schedule an appointment with your provider.

If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or certain other conditions, you may need to have your blood pressure checked more often.

Watch for blood pressure screenings in your area. Ask your provider if you can stop in to have your blood pressure checked.

Your cholesterol should be checked every 5 years.

If you have a high cholesterol level, diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or certain other conditions, you may need to be checked more often.

Some men should consider taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks. Ask your provider before you start aspirin because aspirin may increase your risk for bleeding.

If you are age 45 or older, you should be screened every 3 years.

If you are overweight, ask your provider if you should be screened at a younger age. Asian Americans should be screened if their BMI is greater than 23.

If your blood pressure is above 140/80 mm Hg, or you have other risk factors for diabetes, your provider may test your blood sugar level for diabetes.

A fecal occult blood (stool-based) test done every year

A fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every year

A stool DNA test every 3 years

Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years

Double contrast barium enema every 5 years

CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years

Colonoscopy every 10 years

Go to the dentist once or twice every year for an exam and cleaning. Your dentist will evaluate if you have a need for more frequent visits.

Have an eye exam every 2 to 4 years ages 40 to 54 and every 1 to 3 years ages 55 to 64. Your provider may recommend more frequent eye exams if you have vision problems or glaucoma risk.

Have an eye exam at least every year if you have diabetes.

You should get a flu shot every year.

Your provider may recommend other vaccinations if you have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes.

You should have a tetanus-diphtheria booster vaccination every 10 years. If you have not received a tetanus-diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine as one of your tetanus-diphtheria vaccines, you should have it once.

You may get a shingles or herpes zoster vaccination once after age 50.

If you are between ages 50 to 70 and have risk factors for osteoporosis, you should discuss screening with your provider.

Risk factors can include long-term steroid use, low body weight, smoking, heavy alcohol use, having a fracture after age 50, or a family history of osteoporosis

Your blood pressure should be checked at least every year.

Your height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) should be checked at every exam.

Most men age 50 or older should discuss screening for prostate cancer with their provider. African American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer in a first degree relative younger than age 65 should discuss screening at age 45.

The potential benefits of PSA testing as a routine screening test have not been definitively shown to outweigh the harms of testing and treatment. If you choose to be tested, the PSA blood test is most often done every year.

Prostate examinations are no longer routinely done on men with no symptoms.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends against performing testicular self-exams. Doing testicular self-exams has been shown to have little to no benefit.

The USPSTF recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in adults ages 55 to 80 years who:

Have a 30 pack-year smoking history AND

Currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years