All of you must have heard the quote "Prevention is better than cure".
Preventive checkups enable identification of health problems even before they occur.
What is preventive health checkup?
Preventive health checkup is a series of medical tests undertaken to understand measures needed for disease prevention. Preventive healthcare can detect certain behaviors, habits, infections, medical problems before they become advanced or crucial.
It helps keep diseases at bay. The other advantages are:
You are inspired to stay away from unhealthy habits such as smoking, consuming unhealthy fats, excessive alcohol and others.
You take better care of both yourself and your family.
Your interest towards maintaining a good diet and exercise is afresh.
You start caring about your sleep and wake habits.
Your anxiety and worry about any future health problem is mitigated.
You get to cut back on possibility of certain diseases.
You start focusing on your long-term wellness instead of short-term.
The cost-saving potential of preventive care will help you stay in budget.
Infants & Children (0-10 years)
Auscultation: During this physical examination, doctors listen to the sounds that are inside the body.
They check for heart murmurs and other irregularities in the circulatory and respiratory system. They also
examine the functioning of the organs like the liver, lungs, intestines, etc.
Palpation: The doctor examines the body parts and organs of the infant/child’s body with his/her fingers for
consistency, size, and tenderness of a body part and so on.
Percussion: The doctor taps certain body parts of the child with his fingers, small instruments or hands to
determine any irregularities or if fluid is present or absent in the body.
Ophthalmic Exam: As the name suggests this is a vision test to determine the health of the eyes. A child
needs to know his/her alphabets for the ophthalmologist to conduct the test. This test is recommended
annually or every one or two years.
Hearing Test: This test is usually conducted shortly after a baby is born and is followed up during every
other visit up to six months..
Temperature: An electronic thermometer is used to check the temperature of the child.
Weight: Each time you visit the hospital for a check-up, the weight of your baby/child will be checked to find
out if it is ideal according to his/her age.
Newborn Jaundice: Jaundice in newborns is quite common. Doctors conduct examinations to check for
high levels of bilirubin and try to stabilize it.
Reflexes: Babies have certain reflexes that occur during different developmental stages. Doctors carry out
checks to understand if these reflexes are proper and if there is proper functioning of the brain and nervous
system.
Six to nine months: During the first six months of a child’s life, parents are advised to visit the doctor for checkups when the baby is one month, two months, four months and then six months.
At nine months, screenings for Autism Spectrum Disorder is recommended by the CDC. This is especially important for babies born with less weight and babies with an autistic sibling. Signs of other developmental delays are also checked at nine months of age.
1 year: Besides the regular visit to the doctor, when a baby is one year old, doctors also advise an oral examination to detect any potential dental problems, including the teeth, gums, jaw, tongue or irregular bite. Parents are briefed about the importance of oral health for their child. Dentists recommend a check-up every six months.
1-2 years: Most babies move on from breast milk to formula milk during this age. They can eat fruits, meat, vegetables and grains in gruel form. Pediatricians advise parents regarding appropriate foods and the nutrition the child needs at this stage.
For teenagers, emphasis is on healthy lifestyle choices to steer clear from diseases. However, as these diseases are caused and are dependent on a lot of factors, it is best to opt for these tests only after a thorough discussion with your family doctor.
High cholesterol or lipid profile
Obesity
Diabetes
Anemia
High blood pressure
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
HIV
Tuberculosis
Chlamydia & Gonorrhea
If you are in your 20s and 30s, here's a list of the basic tests you should ask your doctor for:
Weight check
Blood pressure
Lipid profile
Pelvic exam & pap smear (for women only)
Eye examination
Hepatitis C
Vaccination update (ask your doctor if you need any immunizations)
If you are in your 20s and 30s, here's a list of the basic tests you should ask your doctor for:
Blood pressure
Lipid profile
For women only (pelvic exam & pap smear)
Eye examination
Dental exam
Immunization
Hepatitis C
Physical exam (height, weight, BMI)
For men only (testicular self-exams)
Skin self-exam (for skin cancer)
Other screenings for colon cancer etc. (Talk to your doctor about the same).
Here's a list of the basic tests you should get done if you are in your 40s:
Blood pressure
Cholesterol screening
Heart disease screening
Cancer screening (colorectal cancer)
Cervical cancer screening (for women)
Eye examination
Dental exam
Diabetes
Immunization
Infectious disease screening
Lung cancer screening (for men)
Breast cancer screening (for women)
Prostate cancer screening (for men)
Osteoporosis screening
Bone mineral density test (for women)
Pap smear (for women)
Physical examination
Testicular examination (for men)
Skin cancer screening
You may be 60 and above, but you too can live a full life and enjoy good health! However, you need to be well informed about your body and the way it is functioning. Here are some recommended screenings.
Blood pressure
Weight test
Colorectal cancer screening
Prostate cancer screening
Breast exam and mammogram (for women)
Pelvic exam, Pap smear and HPV test (for women)
Eye exam
Cholesterol screening
Bone density test
Hearing test
Immunizations
Pneumonia vaccine
Aneurysm
Depression screening
Diabetes test
Doctor can recommend other tests depending on your health
Preventive health check-ups can lead one to be
healthy and follow healthy living
Monitoring health on a regular basis is an important matter to consider with our current lifestyle and sedentary habits, especially as we are surrounded by several health hazards like pollution, stress, junk food, etc. After all, detection of a disease in its early stage helps to nip it in the bud.
Most people above the age of 35 years should get a health check to identify their risks of developing any chronic conditions. Once any risks are identified, doctors will advise some lifestyle changes regarding diet, stress control measures and physical activity or recommend the appropriate treatment at the earliest.
So schedule an appointment with your doctor at the earliest and plan your health checks according to your requirement.
During the check-ups, each and every organ of the body is closely screened making it impossible for any ailments to remain undetected. If any disorder is found by the doctors, treatment without delay is advised.
