The Importance of Regular Health Check-Ups

What is a Health Check?

A Health Check is an opportunistic appointment which looks for the potential of developing medical conditions or picking up the early signs of diseases and conditions that the patient was not aware of. Sometimes, a health check is used to tune up existing conditions for better control and an opportunity to talk through education and improvement techniques.

Different factors can impact how regularly health checks should be completed, such as:

• Age
• Occupation
• Family history
• Existing medical problems
• Smoking and alcohol consumption history

The Benefits of Regular Health Check-Ups

There are many benefits to regular health checks, such as:

• Early diagnosis of medical conditions, especially those with limited or no symptoms (things you might notice day to day)
• Prevention of damage to body organs resulting from undiagnosed conditions
• Improvement in outcomes for some cancers through earlier diagnosis or detection
• Ability to optimise health or change lifestyle to combat early signs of disease or risk of developing them
• Tune up on the management of existing conditions to get better control and an opportunity to discuss with a doctor about current medication
• Reduce the Risk of Getting Sick

The best approach to good health and a long, healthy life is a preventative approach to illness. This means finding out about your risk of developing a disease or early signs and symptoms that you may have developed a chronic disease, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. If you can reduce your risk of developing disease through education and instruction, while having a health check, it can reduce your risk of developing conditions such as a heart attack or stroke, which are common complications of undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension.

Health Screening can help to identify those individuals who are at higher risk of developing conditions such as heart disease. This allows changes to be started earlier in life to help prevent this disease from progressing or even causing symptoms in the individual.

Increases Chances for Treatment and Cure

Screening for conditions such as prostate cancer in older men (over 50), breast cancer in women and cervical cancer in women can help to identify disease in its earlier stages, which is associated with better outcomes and higher rates of complete remission of disease. Health Screening can help to pick up signs and symptoms of these diseases, alongside blood tests to help detect the disease earlier.

Increase Lifespan and Improve Health

Some conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), deterioration in kidney function (CKD) and even diabetes (Type 2) can be present in the background with little to no symptoms. These conditions can cause damage to organs for many years before being picked up, often during a presentation to a doctor for another reason, such as an acute illness or injury. Being able to diagnose these conditions early through observations and blood or urine tests can allow for earlier management and prevention of damage to organs such as the heart, eyes, blood vessels or kidneys.

What Happens During a Health Check?

During a health check, you will have an initial appointment with our nursing team who will take some basic history notes including:

• Past medical history, including any ongoing medical and surgical problems
• Family history of disease, including any history of cardiovascular disease and cancer
• History of smoking and alcohol use
• Any Medication you take, both prescription and over-the-counter

Depending on which health check you select, you may have any of the following:

• Height and Weight measurement
• Blood Pressure
• Urine Dip to check for abnormalities
• ECG
• Spirometry
• Blood test to check
• Kidneys
• Liver
• Bone
• Heart
• Lipid levels (Cholesterol)
• Thyroid
• Vitamin Levels – including Vitamin D and B12
• Iron Studies
• Blood count
• Cervical Smear
• Prostate Screening

When you receive your test results, you will be booked in with a Doctor, who will talk through all of your results in addition to carrying out an examination and taking a history of any health concerns. A plan will be made as to how to reduce or manage any health risks identified and any required onward referrals to consultant specialists, in addition to accessing other specialists within The Health Suite, such as physiotherapists, counsellors, personal trainers and many more.

How Often Should I Get a Health Check?

Health Checks are usually recommended on an annual basis to check your measurements, such as Blood pressure, height and weight, activity levels, smoking and alcohol assessments.

How often blood tests and other specialist screening tests are required should be discussed with the doctor, who will advise you on a suitable interval of testing that is specific to your health needs.

Why are Health Checks Important?

Health Checks help you to take control of your health and prevent the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease and can help to identify early signs of cancer or chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Preventing disease and having support to live your healthiest life, reducing time spent unwell and the likelihood of requiring medications or medical interventions later in life.

Health Checks are also a good opportunity to discuss concerns about your current health and get support to optimise your health.