Annual Checkups That No One Should Skip

At the beginning of every new year, people always plan to eat healthier, exercise more, taking better care of their health and other courageous resolutions. And yet, if not careful, they can rapidly go back into the daily routine they had a year before without even realizing it. It is important to strive for resolutions that are achievable and realistic instead of trying to reach impossible goals that may remain mere desires. Putting them into practice is the key to becoming happier, healthier and feel like you’ve achieved what you wished for at the end of the year.

The easiest step to make, before changing your diet or establishing a sustainable exercising program, is setting up an appointment with your doctor. A doctor is the one person who can give you a thorough medical examination and eliminate any worries or negative thoughts that might wander in your head. They are the ones who will advise you to get your annual checkups and screening done. These tests will give you details about your current health status and will identify potential health problems before they aggravate. This article will present a few of the checkups that all people should do at least once a year to make sure that their health status is on the right track.

Not all people are the same

The tests that a person should run can be influenced by factors such as age, medical history, gender, and risk factors. The risk factors include lifestyle habits that can heighten the effects of a disease such as consuming alcohol or smoking. If a person is more likely to develop a disease because of genetic factors such as a medical history of cancer, more tests and checkups might be required over the years.

This being said, the number of annual checkups can vary from one person to another. The time frame can also differ if physicians recommend running tests more often. The checkups and screening exams listed here are the most common ones, but each patient is unique and might need a different set. To rest assured, ask your doctor what tests are recommended based on your particular situation.

The most common blood tests

After performing a general medical exam, blood tests will follow. Choosing a clinic that runs both blood tests and performs different medical exams is the best choice because you can have everything checked in one single place. For instance, the services of Emu Health are diverse enough to run full body tests. Another recommendation would be to run tests yearly at the same clinic to establish a well-documented medical history. The blood tests that should be run annually are:

• Glycemia

One of the tests that can’t miss from your annual checkups is represented by glycemia. For healthy persons, the glucose level in blood shouldn’t exceed 100 mg / dL. When a higher value occurs, repeating the blood test is required. If the values are still high after several tests, the patient becomes suspect for diabetes. Extensive analysis is recommended in such a situation to figure out if diabetes is indeed the diagnosis.

• Lipids

The lipid profile is a set of tests that are meant to identify if there is any sign of coronary artery disease. This profile set includes tests such as cholesterol (both HDL and LDL) and triglycerides. LDL cholesterol is the one that affects the arterial walls. The main consequence of having a high LDL cholesterol is an increased risk of ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction. HDL cholesterol prevents LDL cholesterol from depositing on the blood vessel walls. As for triglycerides, they are associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

• Complete Blood Count (CBC)

This complex set will provide information about the following parameters: white blood cell count, erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, erythrocyte index, platelet count, and platelet count. The hemogram is a basic screening test, being one of the most commonly required. Analyzing hematological parameters brings valuable information that helps the doctor to detect certain malfunctions in the life cycle of blood cells, acute, chronic, or allergic infections, and to suggest, if necessary, an additional set of blood tests.

• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)

ESR refers to the rate of sedimentation of the red blood, which are those cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the body. The higher the sedimentation of the hematite, the higher the ESR. This can indicate a condition that is not visible because it doesn’t show any signs. The doctor will recommend the analysis when suspecting an inflammation, infection or autoimmune disease. ESR won’t establish a diagnosis, but it will tell the doctor that the patient is suspect of an unknown condition, which will require extensive analysis to provide a precise diagnosis.

Routine screening exams

Screenings are usually less needed because they are complex health examinations that are required when the blood tests determine that something is wrong or if the person presents symptoms that aren’t normal. The most common screening tests are:

• ECG

The ECH (electrocardiogram) is a simple and valuable test that records the electrical activity of a patient’s heart and gives the doctor the needed indications on how the heart behaves: rhythm, frequency, and beats. Most heart diseases alter the appearance of ECG, thus requiring more investigations.

• Ultrasound

It is the main screening method due to the lack of hurt and speed of diagnosis. By ultrasound, changes can be seen in how organs work and are viewed in real time (useful in heart, digestive, urinary tract). It can detect various changes in organ structure (tumor formation or organ pain).

• Mammography

It is a radiological examination of the breast tissue that can detect changes at a structural level long before signs or symptoms occur. It is recommended for women over 50 years of age.

If you’d like to set an appointment for a checkup or simply learn more about this topic, use the contact details listed here:

Emu Health 83-40 Woodhaven Blvd, Glendale, NY 11385 (718) 850-4368