As Men’s Health Month in South Africa draws to a close in June, the University of Pretoria endorses the initiatives to encourage healthy practices. The importance of screening to prevent diseases cannot be discounted. Age is no reason to imagine one invincible. Health problems can hurt the young and the mature alike.

As such, Men’s Health Month aims to drive awareness of preventable health problems by encouraging early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

During June, healthcare providers, public policymakers, the media, and individuals have an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.

Worldwide, the response has been overwhelming, with thousands of awareness activities around the globe. Self-health does not mean excluding oneself from diagnosis by thinking it does not affect me. Wrong! Such ailments do not only affect other men.

Every man is at risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa). The risk increases with age. Furthermore, African ancestry is a significant risk factor for advanced prostate cancer.

The lifetime risk of succumbing to prostate cancer is two to three to five-fold higher for African Americans compared with other ethnic groups in the United States.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the prostate cancer mortality rates are almost three-fold greater than global estimates, and it seems higher in rural localities. Data on prostate cancer in African men is virtually non-existent.

Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein produced by normal and cancerous cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood and is often higher in men with prostate cancer.

Blood PSA used in conjunction with a digital rectal exam (DRE), aids in the detection of prostate cancer and is also used in men with lower urinary tract symptoms to determine the diagnosis.

As Men’s Health Month draws to a close, this is a wake-up call to take care of yourself and live healthy and longer through early detection.

The South African Prostate Cancer Foundation recommends that from the age of 40 years, black African patients and all men with a positive family history of prostate or breast cancer in a degree first-degree relative annual screening of PSA should be done. In other men, the screening starts from the age of 45 years.

When the PSA level is elevated, men are referred to a urologist who will consider a prostate biopsy to make a conclusive diagnosis of the reason for the high PSA, for example, infection or a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate. Early detection of prostate cancer is crucial for curative intervention at a stage when the cancer is still limited to the prostate.

Men can make a significant investment in their health by taking responsibility for regular PSA/DRE.

The discomfort is similar to females undergoing cervical smears and mammography. These should also motivate the male partner to take his health seriously and allow for early detection and treatment.

Finally, one cannot state enough the importance of drawing attention to men's health and creating awareness around preventable health problems.

Encouraging early detection and providing treatment for male-related health conditions is the key message of Men’s Health Month. But it should be done every day.

Prof Riana Bornman is an Extra-Ordinary Professor in Andrology, Department of Urology at the Faculty of Health Sciences, UP.