Pediatric Health Library

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Health Screening Guidelines for Men 18 to 39

Screening tests and health counseling are an important part of managing your health. A screening test is done to find diseases in people who don't have any symptoms, or may be at a higher risk. The goal is to find a disease early so lifestyle changes and checkups can reduce the risk of disease. Or the goal may be to find it early to treat it most effectively. Screening tests are not used to diagnose a disease. But they are used to see if more testing is needed. Below are guidelines for these, for men ages 18 to 39. Talk with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re up-to-date on what you need.

Screening	Who needs it	How often
Alcohol misuse	All adults	At routine exams
Blood pressure	All adults	Yearly checkup if your blood pressure is normal Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg If your blood pressure is higher than normal, follow the advice of your healthcare provider
Depression	All adults who have access to healthcare provider for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up	At routine exams
Diabetes mellitus, type 2	Adults who have no symptoms and are overweight or obese and have one or more extra risk factors for diabetes (such as having a close family member with diabetes or if the adult is African American, Latino, Native American, or Asian American.)	At least every 3 years (yearly if blood sugar has started to rise or if risk factors are present)
Hepatitis C	If at increased risk	At routine exams
HIV	All men at increased risk	At routine exams
High cholesterol and triglycerides	Cholesterol should be checked at least once between ages 17 and 21. All men ages 35 and older, and younger men at high risk for coronary artery disease	At least every 4 to 6 years
Obesity	All adults	At routine exams. Talk with your healthcare provider if your BMI is 30 or higher.
Syphilis	Anyone at increased risk for infection	At routine exams
Chlamydia	Anyone at increased risk for infection	At routine exams
Gonorrhea	Anyone at increased risk for infection	At routine exams
Tuberculosis	Anyone at increased risk for infection	Check with your healthcare provider
Vision	All men in this age group	Yearly comprehensive and vision exam

Counseling	Who needs it	How often
Diet and exercise	Adults who are overweight or obese	When diagnosed and at routine exams
Sexually transmitted infection prevention	Men who are sexually active	At routine visits
Skin cancer	Prevention of skin cancer in fair-skinned adults through age 24	At routine visits
Tobacco use and tobacco-related disease	All adults	Every exam