Men over 50 are missing the signs of major illnesses - including cancer. A poll of more than 8,000 over-50s found that women are far better than men at identifying the signs of potential killers.
While women said they knew the signs for more than half of illnesses, on average men only knew about a third. Men were also less likely to go to their GP with a range of symptoms, including nagging pain and new lumps.
People were asked if they felt they knew the symptoms of several illnesses including arthritis, dementia, and cancers of the bowel, prostate, lung, cervix and breast.
Overall, men were less likely than women to say they knew the signs of bowel cancer (54 per cent compared to 71 per cent of women), lung cancer and skin cancer. They were also less likely to know about dementia and osteoporosis.
Four out of 10 men also did not know what to look out for when it comes to prostate cancer. When asked what symptoms would prompt them to go to the GP, just 63 per cent of men would go to their doctor if they discover a new lump, compared to 83 per cent of women.
However, men were more likely than women to seek help if they experienced dizziness or nausea or sickness and diarrhoea. Kevin McMullan, of Saga Health Insurance – which carried out the research – said: "Getting treatment quickly is really important and in some cases can be vital."
Fran Woodard, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "This is especially concerning given that men are 60 per cent more likely to develop and 70 per cent more likely to die from cancer than women."
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