Health checks for men 40–49
Much at this age is still silent but already under way. This is the decade when a general check-up pays off most clearly.
Asked at every age, not just yours
- Blood pressure — the cheapest measurement and the one most often skipped
- Weight and waist, recorded over time rather than measured once
- A complete list of medicines and supplements, including anything bought without a prescription
- Any allergies you have had, to medicines and to anything else
- Family history, with the AGE at which relatives were affected — the age is the detail that shifts a schedule
🫀 Heart and metabolic
- Blood pressure, glucose, lipids as a series
- Overall cardiovascular risk assessment
- Sleep apnoea if you snore loudly, are sleepy by day, or blood pressure is hard to control
🎗️ Cancer screening
- Bowel screening — ask when it should start for you
- PSA is a test to DISCUSS before doing, including its harms
- Any mole that changes
💉 Infection and vaccination
- Boosters
- Hepatitis B and C if never tested
- Seasonal vaccination if you have an underlying condition
🦴 Bones, senses and mobility
- Vision and difficulty with close reading
- Hearing after years of noise exposure
- Persistent joint and back pain
🧠 Mental health and lifestyle
- Sleep, stress and persistent mood
- Alcohol — the real weekly amount
- Smoking, and if you want to stop, ask what support exists
What changes this list for you
- A relative with bowel or prostate cancer at a young age
- Many years of smoking
- Excess weight, inactivity, or long-term shift work
Any one of these can move a starting point earlier or change how often something is repeated. That is a conversation to have, not something to work out alone.
Questions to take with you
- What is my overall risk level
- For me, what are the benefits and harms of each test
- When should this be repeated