Movember men: Growing moustaches for a cause

Every year, Movember challenges men around the world to become ‘Mo Bros’ and sport moustaches to raise awareness about men’s health issues.

The campaign encourages thousands to become human billboards and seek sponsorship for their Mo growing efforts. All funds raised help fight common diseases affecting men, like prostate cancer and depression.

We look at some of the leading causes of men’s ill health in the UAE and globally, based on statistics from the UAE Ministry of Health for 2007 and the World Health Organisation for 2004.

Cancer

Cause: About 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Lung cancer is the most common form among men in the UAE and prostate has the second highest occurrence. There is no definitive cause but risk factors include age, family history, and a diet consisting of mostly red meat or high-fat dairy products.
Prevention: Experts believe that healthy lifestyle choices like eating a balanced diet and not smoking can help reduce the probability. Regular screenings are also important for early intervention.

Expert opinion: “In terms of prostate cancer, there are two types. On the one hand you have cases where the cancer is less aggressive and men can go on a long time without recognition. And then there’s the small percentage that have a more active version and it will be detected early. The overall goal is to learn to separate these two and figure out which version you observe and which you treat.”
— Dr Hasrat Ali Parkar
Chief of Family Medicine, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD)

Cause: CVDs are responsible for 27 per cent of men’s deaths worldwide.
Each type of CVD has its own cause. One of the most common forms is atherosclerosis, caused by too much pressure in the arteries resulting in a limited flow of blood.
Prevention: They can be controlled through a variety of treatments. For some a lifestyle change, like proper diet and exercise may be enough. Others may require medication or procedures like cellular therapy to treat damaged and diseased tissues.

Expert opinion: “It’s easily the number one cause of death [due to] the factors that predispose [a person to] it. [These include] smoking, high cholesterol, lack of exercise, and presence of other diseases, like diabetes. Our primary focus should be to ... prevent the disease. It is in your power to watch what you eat, to exercise and to stop smoking.”
— Dr Hasrat Ali Parkar
Tawam Hospital, Al Ain

Unintentional Injuries

Cause: It is estimated that unintentional injuries cause 3.9 million deaths globally, 33 per cent of those road traffic incidents, 8 per cent of which are men.
Prevention: To prevent such accidents limit distractions such as using the cell phone while driving, maintain reasonable speeds and ensure passengers wear their seat belts.

Expert opinion: “It’s the leading cause of death among men [aged] 15-45. We have no excuse here. We have a good road network, drive relatively new cars and have good weather. The causes for these injuries are reckless behaviour. [When it comes to] unintentional injuries it’s all about awareness, awareness, awareness.”
— Dr Hasrat Ali Parkar
Tawam Hospital, Al Ain

Awareness needed

Men’s health problems will continue to be brushed under the carpet unless there is greater awareness in society, according to a Dubai-based psychiatrist.

Dr Shujaat Ali Nathani, a physician at the Health Call clinic, felt that women’s health problems like breast cancer received much more attention than men’s issues like prostate cancer or infertility.  “Awareness is the key to addressing the problem,” Dr Nathani said. “The patient should first be aware of the diseases and then be comfortable in raising the issue.”

A recent campaign called ‘Lives too short’ by UK-based charity Men’s Health Forum also claimed that most men’s health issues were not publicly discussed because “most of us simply don’t realise the scale of the problem or what to do about it”.

Talking about other aspects like the social perception of men being the stronger sex, Dr Nathani said: “Men are supposed to be macho and strong and are very reluctant to appear weak. While they are forced to address obvious health problems like a heart attack, when it comes to other problems they just ignore them.”

He urged patients to not worry about “uncomfortable questions” and raise the alarm when they felt they had a health problem.

“A patient should be able to go to his physician and say: ‘I wake up three or four times at night to [use the washroom], what is the problem? Is it diabetes or do I have a prostate problem?’ The doctor can then conduct tests or do a physical exam.”

He suggested that initiatives similar to ones organised for breast cancer awareness be organised for men’s health issues.

— By Huda Tabrez/Community Web Editor

Have your say
Do you know someone who is trying to grow a moustache for Movember? Why do you think men’s health issues do not receive enough public attention? Tell us.