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Health Check
At the age of 30, Ms Wong keeps receiving phone calls persuading her to purchase various health check packages recently. Card companies and the clinic she frequents also offer health checkup plans. Although the company she works for provides annual basic checking, she does not know if the scope is sufficient. As there are tons of health check packages in the market, how should she choose wisely?
- Health Check as a Preventive Measure for the Mid Aged and the Vulnerable
- Price is not the Only Consideration When Choosing Health Check Package
- Add in Test Items According to Health Condition
- A Guideline to Cancer Marker Tests as Concern about Cancer Flares
- Pregnant Women Should Avoid X-ray Scan
- Understand the Health Check Reports and Self Monitoring
Source: Quality Health Care
Health Check as a Preventive Measure for the Mid Aged and the Vulnerable
Regular health check can monitor bodily condition and prevent diseases through early diagnosis and subsequent treatments. Take cervical cancer as an example, it is believed that with the help of government promotion, the morbidity is sliding from 24.7 out of 100,000 persons in 1983 to 9.7 persons in 2006 as more women engage upon regular check.
There is no golden rule as at what age should a person engage on regular checkup programme. It depends largely on personal background and the test concerned. However, people who have passed the threshold of mid age are more vulnerable to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Regular health checks can effectively keep bodily changes in check. For those under 40 and without a family history of chronic or fatal disease, an annual health check is recommended. It encompasses basic tests such as glucose screening, blood pressure and cholesterol measuring. Those who possess a family history of chronic or fatal disease may start their health check regularities earlier. Specific attention should be given to screenings for particular diseases, for example those who have a family history of breast cancer should consider taking breast-related tests.
Price is not the Only Consideration When Choosing Health Check Package
Health check packages vary by service providers. The vast number of options requires careful consideration. A lot of people prefer choosing expensive packages, because they think more expensive, much better. However, price should not be your only consideration.
The rule of thumb is to select the options that suit your personal needs. You can base on your age, sex, personal and family health history to make your final decision. Apart from that, more background information of the health care centre or clinic should be gathered before making the final decision. It is important to patronise a (ISO and other professional recognitions) qualified centre to ensure that you receive accurate tests done by good hands with good equipments, lest the preventive attempt should end in vain.
Consulting your family doctor on the health check package is preferable, as he/she possesses a thorough understanding of your health condition.
Add in Test Items According to Health Condition
For those who have reached 40 without major physical problem, a basic body check which includes screenings of glucose, Complete Blood Picture (CBP, including red and white blood cell counts), kidney functions, liver functions and cholesterol level (LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol triglycerides and total cholesterol) is sufficient. A chest X-ray is a reasonable option if you have not undergone the test for a substantial period of time.
Female should undergo regular gynecological tests including a biennial Pap smear test. For women who have reached 40, an ultrasound breast scan is worth considering. At the age of 50-70, women should engage on biennial mammography screenings. This is also recommended for women aged from 40 to 50 as a preventive measure. Women who have reached menopause can do the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test to understand the condition of their bone matters.
Apart from regular test items, mid-aged men can consider a prostate examination, especially when symptoms like frequent urination and nocturia are experienced.
Those who have family history of a particular disease should add the relating tests to their health check portfolios. For example if any of your family members had colorectal cancer or breast cancer, you should undergo colonoscopy or mammogram earlier. Hepatitis-B carriers or those who have a family history of liver cancer can consider annual liver cancer index and ultrasound liver scanning.
A Guideline to Cancer Marker Tests as Concern about Cancer Flares
Cancer marker tests can serve as references for early detection. However, patients should be aware of the existence of "false positive" and "false negative" results which means the deviation of the real case interfered by other factors, such as polycystic ovary syndrome can result in a high ovary cancer marker level. It is suggested to check the marker of a particular cancer which is recorded in family history or of considerable concern, and this involves consulting a doctor beforehand.
Pregnant Women Should Avoid X-ray Scan
Health check usually involves body contact with different medical equipments, some of which arouse safety concerns. In fact, most of the tests are harmless and safe. Yet chest x-ray does produce small dose of radiations and those emitted from CT scans and mammogram screenings are larger. That is why these tests are not recommended for younger people in general case. Moreover, colonoscopy has risk: about 0.1% of the patients will experience intestinal perforation, only once in 10 years is needed in general case. Some people will undergo stool examination instead of colonoscopy, but the latter is far more reliable.
Some people may not be fit for particular body check item. For example people with pacemaker should not undergo magnetic resonance imaging. Likewise, pregnant women or those who are suspected to be pregnant (such as delayed menstruation) should not involve in any x-ray scan.
Understand the Health Check Reports and Self Monitoring
The purpose of a health check is to grasp the bodily condition, to prevent diseases and, if contracted, to remedy them at an early stage so as to maximize the possibilities of recovery. It is thus necessary to understand the report thoroughly. Health check reports are best to be retrieved personally, with a doctor elucidating the contents, or followed up by the family doctor.
Besides a holistic checkup per year, regular self-monitoring is equally important. Blood pressure measuring is among the essential items, especially for the mid aged, smokers or the overweight. Similarly, those who have a family history of diabetes or an alarming blood glucose level should conduct regular check with the help of a glucose meter; and women should perform breast self-examination every month for early detection of breast cancer.
Source: Quality Health Care
