7 types of pain men shouldn't ignore.

In fact, men between the ages of 20 and 40 are twice as likely to die as women. Here are 7 common pains men shouldn't ignore.

There's a truth we need to face: many men die young. In fact, men between the ages of 20 and 40 are twice as likely to die as women. The biggest reason is: we often ignore symptoms, even dizziness or chest pain, without seeking medical attention.

Back pain in men

1. Sudden pain in the groin

Symptoms: It feels like you've been kicked in the lower abdomen, but the pain isn't intense. Sometimes this symptom is accompanied by swelling.

Cause: This could be a symptom of testicular torsion. Normally, a man's testicles are connected to the body in two ways: by the spermatic cord, a cord-like structure formed by the vas deferens and surrounding tissues extending from the abdomen down to each testicle, or by the anastomoses.

Sometimes, due to genetic factors, some people lack this muscle anchorage. In such cases, testicular torsion will twist, obstructing blood flow to the testicle. Dr. Jon Pryor, a urologist at the University of Minnesota, says, "However, you will usually feel no pain after 12 to 24 hours."

There could be another cause: you have an epididymal infection.

Treatment options include surgery to straighten the spermatic cord, followed by the implantation of an artificial spermatic cord anchor. If it's simply an infection, antibiotics are an effective treatment.

2. Severe back pain

Symptoms: The pain feels like you've just finished cleaning out a closet. Common responses include applying heat, resting, and using over-the-counter painkillers—but the pain doesn't subside.

Cause: Dr. Sigfried Kra, associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, says, "If not related to exercise, sudden and severe back pain can be a sign of an aneurysm." Particularly concerning is an abdominal aneurysm, caused by a weak artery bulging just above the kidney. If the artery ruptures, you could die within minutes.

A less threatening health possibility: You have kidney stones. In that case, the pain will be much more intense.

Treatment options: Once diagnosed with an aneurysm via CT scan, the condition can be treated with blood pressure medication or surgical implantation.

3. Persistent pain in the leg or lower leg.

Symptoms: Persistent pain in the top of the foot or the front of the lower leg, which worsens with movement, even at rest. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen do not provide relief.

Cause: This could be due to a fracture or bone break. Bones, like other tissues in the body, can constantly regenerate themselves. Dr. Andrew Feldman explains: "However, if you are training intensely, the bones may not be able to regenerate quickly enough, resulting in fractures or bone breaks."

Treatment: You should stop all strenuous activity until the fracture heals. In the worst-case scenario, you will need to rest for several weeks.

4. Severe abdominal pain

Symptoms: To use a metaphor, you feel like there's a knife in your intestines, a bullet in your stomach, a sword in your stomach—this pain comes from within the body, not from an external object.

Cause: With so many organs located between the ribs and hip, pain could be a symptom of appendicitis, pancreatitis, or cholecystitis. The cause is the same in all three cases: an organ is being compressed, leading to infection and a risk of death.

Treatment: According to Dr. Kra, if the pain occurs in the lower right abdomen, it indicates an increase in white blood cells, possibly appendicitis. If the pain is in the upper abdomen with a high white blood cell count, it could be cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder). If the pain is below the sternum and high levels of enzymes in the blood, it could be a sign of pancreatitis (or possibly gallstones).

5. Mild chest pain

Symptoms: Sudden and intense chest pain that quickly subsides. Afterwards, you feel as if the pain never happened.

Cause: This could be a sign of indigestion or a heart attack. Dr. John Stamatos, medical director of internal medicine at North Shore Pain Services on Long Island and author of the website Painbuster, says: “Even though the pain is brief, it could be a sign of some serious health problems.”

A blood clot lodged in a narrowed section of a coronary artery completely blocks blood flow to the heart. 50% of people die from heart disease within 3 to 4 hours of their first onset.

Treatment options include: Blood tests to detect problematic heart tissue; and surgery to open up blocked arteries.

6. Pain and swelling in the lower leg.

Symptoms: Your calf is swollen and painful to the touch, and may even feel hot, as if your calf is being slowly roasted from the inside.

Cause: This could be due to deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, which occurs when blood pools in the lower leg and forms a blood clot. When the clot becomes large enough, it can press on a vein in the calf, causing pain and swelling.

Unfortunately, when faced with such a situation, the first method we often apply is to massage the leg, but this only worsens the condition. Dr. Stamatos warns: "Massaging can cause this blood clot to move into the lungs, and this could be fatal."

Treatment: Doctors will prescribe medication to dissolve the blood clot, or use a filter for veins prone to blockage to prevent blood clots from traveling to the lungs before they become life-threatening.

7. Pain during urination

Symptoms: Difficulty urinating and urine that is rust-colored.

Cause: According to Dr. Joseph A. Smith, chairman of the Urology Department at Vanderbilt University, the worst-case scenario is bladder cancer. Symptoms of bladder cancer include painful urination and blood in the urine; it is also the fourth most common cancer in men.

The biggest cause of bladder cancer is smoking. If detected early, 90% of patients have a chance of being cured. Bladder infections also have similar symptoms.

Treatment: Doctors diagnose this disease by a process of exclusion. A urine test is performed first to rule out other conditions, then an endoscope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra for cystoscopy. If a tumor is detected, doctors will treat it with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.

According to Health and Life