In this article, we're going to look at when you should consider starting to do a general health screening, and why you should be doing one.

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We're going to be focusing mainly on a general health screen, as opposed to screening tests more centered on screening for different types of cancer. If you're interested in reading up about some advice on cancer screening, do look through some of the other health articles we have written up.

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A basic health screening aims to screen for some major health conditions, such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, and heart, kidney and liver disease.

 

Your risk of developing these conditions depends on a few factors: your lifestyle choices, your diet, and your family history of such medical conditions. 

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GET CHECKED?

 

I AM FIT AND HEALTHY

 

Generally speaking, adults should start considering doing a regular health screening every 3 years, beyond the age of 40 years old. This is because your risk of developing
chronic medical conditions rises as you age.

 

However, even if you lived a healthy lifestyle but wanted to be more cautious, and wanted to be more aware of your health, you could actually perform a general health screen on a yearly basis. Unless there is a problem noted on on of your health screening tests that you need to follow-up on, performing a health screening panel more often than yearly is generally not recommended.

 

There isn't very much wrong with doing it too often, other than the costs you incur
for yourself.

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I HAVE RISK FACTORS

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If however, you have some health risk factors that increase your risk of developing a chronic medical condition, it really would be a good idea to consider doing your health
screening panel on a yearly basis. Let's go through some risk factors together.

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Firstly, if you lead a very sedentary lifestyle, and do not exercise regularly, you increase your risk of developing chronic medical conditions.

 

A lot of young people do have a sedentary lifestyle, where they focus too much on their careers, and fail to take the time to do some physical exercise on a regular basis simply because they cannot make time for it, or are too fatigued from work to do very much after they return home from work.

 

A lot of younger people also do think of their age as a protective factor, and this leads to a sense of false security, where they feel that they cannot possibly develop a chronic medical condition at a young age. Also, if you smoke, or drink alcohol on a regular basis, your risk of developing chronic medical conditions increases pretty significantly. 

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The converse is actually true - since you are younger and can tolerate more strenuous exercise sessions, you should be exercising harder to keep yourself fit for the years to come!

You are what you eat. Your diet plays an incredibly important part in determining just how healthy you are, and strongly influences your risk of developing a chronic medical condition.

 

If you have a mostly unhealthy diet, high in processed, oily, fried foods, fast food, or high in refined sugars (these include foods like candy, cakes, pastries, and soft
drinks), you're increasing your risk of developing a chronic medical condition at a young age. 

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Lastly, your family's medical history also strongly influences your own risk of developing a chronic medical condition. People whose parents and siblings suffer from chronic medical conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia and heart disease are at a higher risk of developing these conditions themselves.

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WHAT SHOULD I BE CHECKING?

 

There are actually quite a few health screening packages available at your neighbourhood clinic. Some are pretty sparse, while others are overly complete, checking far more than what is necessary. You want to pick a package that screens for important and common conditions, to balance the costs you incur against the need to pick up medical conditions in a timely manner.

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A few good things to check would include:

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FULL BLOOD COUNT - This is a general blood test, that includes some important things like your Haemoglobin and Platelet count. It helps indicate if there is some sort of chronic inflammation, anaemia, or other blood disorder going on. It isn't a very specific test, so it will show such a problem if it is going on in your body, but it won't give very much information beyond that. However, an abnormal test should trigger the need for further follow-up and investigations.

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LIPID PANEL - This blood test shows your cholesterol levels. There are several readings to go through, including your total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels. If some of these levels are high, your doctor will talk to you about the lifestyle changes you need to make to manage it, and if medications are needed.

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FASTING GLUCOSE - This checks your fasting blood sugar level. If it is elevated, it indicate you are Diabetic, and you may need some further blood tests. Your doctor may check a second fasting glucose test on another day, do an 'Oral Glucose Tolerance Test' to diagnose Diabetes and 'pre-Diabetes'.

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RENAL FUNCTION TEST - Also known in the medical community as a 'renal panel', this checks your electrolytes, and kidney function. People with chronic medical conditions (especially Diabetes) can start to develop some kidney damage over the years, and this test helps to show your kidney function, and how bad any kidney damage is if it's present.

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LIVER FUNCTION TEST - People with Diabetes or Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol levels) are at a higher risk of developing conditions like a 'fatty liver', which can cause
some liver inflammation. Some medications (like cholesterol-lowering medications) can also cause a bit of liver inflammation. This blood test helps to screen for such liver issues.

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URINE TEST (ALBUMIN - CREATININE RATIO) - People with chronic medical conditions (especially Diabetes) can develop a condition called 'proteinuria', where some proteins leak out of your body into your urine because of kidney damage from your chronic medical conditions. This test helps to pick it up, and show how bad it is, so that your doctor can switch you over to some medications that can help slow the progression of such an issue.

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ELECTROCARDIOGRAM - This test involves the doctor or nurse placing some electrical leads on your chest and limbs to check your heart rhythm. It is a very basic heart investigation tool, but it helps you pick up some heart conditions like heart blocks and abnormal rhythms, so that you can be referred on to a heart specialist for further investigations.

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GO FASTED

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You do need to do some of these tests when you're fasted, so you should stop eating from midnight the night before, and head to your neighbourhood clinic in the morning. You can have a bit of water in the mornings, but no other food or drinks. If you take some medications daily, you can check with your doctor on whether you should still take them on that morning. 

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A lot of neighbourhood clinics only perform these tests in the morning, so do check with the clinic staff on what time you can go down for a health screening panel before deciding to fast overnight and head down in the morning.

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WRAP IT UP!

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Be sure to get your basic health screening panel down regularly, so that you can pick up any problems that may be developing early, and start treating them before they get
worse. It can be tempting to think that there isn't a chance you'd develop a medical condition, especially if you're young and feel fine, but it never hurts to check. Get yourself checked today with your neighbourhood clinic!

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