Health Screening Guidelines, Men Ages 50 to 64

Screening tests and health counseling are a key part of managing your health. A screening test is done to find disorders or diseases in people who don't have any symptoms. Screening tests are not used to diagnose. They are used to find out if more testing is needed. The goal may be to find a disease early so it can be treated with more success. Or the goal may be to find a disease early so you can make lifestyle changes. You may need regular checkups to help you reduce your risk of disease.

Below are guidelines for men ages 50 to 64. Talk with your healthcare provider. Make sure you’re up-to-date on what you need.

We understand gender is a spectrum. We may use gendered terms to talk about anatomy and health risk. Please use this information in a way that works best for you and your provider as you talk about your care.

Screening

Who needs it

How often

Unhealthy alcohol use

All men in this age group

At routine exams

Blood pressure

All men in this age group

Once a year if your blood pressure is normal. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. If your blood pressure is higher than this, follow the advice of your healthcare provider.

Colorectal cancer

All men in this age group

Talk with your healthcare provider about which test below is right for you:

Colonoscopy every 10 years
Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or every 10 years with yearly fecal immunochemical test (FIT) stool test
CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years
Yearly fecal occult blood test
Yearly FIT
Stool FIT-DNA test (also called the stool DNA test) every 3 years

If you have a test that is not a colonoscopy and have an abnormal test result, you will need a colonoscopy.

You may need to be screened more or less often. This is based on personal or family health history. Talk with your healthcare provider.

Depression

All men in this age group

At routine exams

Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes

All men in this age group with no symptoms who are overweight or obese.

At least every 3 years (yearly if your blood sugar has already begun to rise)

Type 2 diabetes

All men with prediabetes

Every year

Screening

Who needs it

How often

Hepatitis C

All adults age 18 or older at least once in a lifetime.

Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors and how often to have hepatitis C screening.

High cholesterol or triglycerides

All men in this age group

About every 1 to 2 years. Expert groups vary in their advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors and how often you should be tested.

HIV

All men in this age group

At least 1 time. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors. Ask if you should be tested more often.

Lung cancer

All men in this age group who are in fairly good health and are at higher risk for lung cancer, and who:

Smoke or quit in the past 15 years
Have a 20-pack per year smoking history (1 pack a day for 20 years or 2 packs a day for 10 years)

Expert groups vary in their advice. Talk with your healthcare provider.

Yearly lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors.

Obesity

All men in this age group

At yearly routine exams

BMI (body mass index)

All men in this age group

Every year, to help find out if you are at a healthy weight for your height.

Prostate cancer

All men in this age group, talk with your healthcare provider about risks and benefits of a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen screening

At routine exams if you decide to be tested.

Syphilis

Men at higher risk for infection

At routine exams. Talk with your healthcare provider.

Tuberculosis

Men at higher risk for infection

Talk with your healthcare provider

Vision

All men in this age group

Baseline screening at age 40. Talk with your healthcare provider about how often to have vision exams.

Health counseling

Who needs it