Your guide to full medical check-up

Preventative healthcare refers to the various measures adopted to prevent disease. It has recently gained importance since people are more empowered about their own health and know how important check-ups and screening tests are for early detection and treatment of disease. Check-ups and screening tests are also important in public health since early diagnoses help to reduce costs in tests and treatments. Many factors, such as age, health, family history, and lifestyle choices impact on how often you will need check-ups.

What is a full medical check-up?

A full or comprehensive medical check-up is a full physical examination normally performed by a GP (general practitioner). The examination will consist of a physical exam and tests, for example blood and urine analysis, electrocardiogram, colonoscopy, and audiometry. Which tests are administered will depend on your age and other risk factors.

What is screening?

A full comprehensive medical check-up sometimes implies going through some screening tests that consist of different analyses to identify health issues or diseases in people without apparent signs or symptoms. A screening test is not 100% accurate, and provides only an indication that a person is at risk from suffering certain disease. Therefore, the aim of these tests is to detect risk factors to reduce the probability of developing any disease. However, sometimes a screening test can act as an early diagnosis tool, increasing the individual’s chances of survival.

The difference between screening and early diagnosis is that screening is performed in people who do not have any signs or symptoms of disease whereas early diagnosis tries to identify illness as early as possible in people with signs and symptoms.

Benefits and harms of screening 

A wide range of screening tests are now available. However, not all of them are considered to have only benefits, since they can also be harmful. For instance, X ray examinations expose the body to radiation and sometimes these tests can result in false positives and negatives. So it is important for the physician to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed some criteria for evaluating population-wide screening tests that may help you decide whether or not to undergo such a test:

• Screening must be carried out only for diseases with severe outcomes in order to have a clear health benefit.
• The test must be reliable and trustworthy.
• There must be an efficient treatment for the disease when detected early, and there has to be evidence that treatment is more effective when started before symptoms appear.
• People must receive enough information on screening tests to help them decide whether to have one.

When do I need a health check-up?

Although it is important to have regular check-ups, normally people do not need annual physical examinations. Your GP knows your medical history so you can discuss with him or her the best time for any tests you may need. Also, you may need a check-up in some of the following situations:

• If you don’t feel well.
• If you have some symptoms related to a disease.
• To manage chronic or ongoing conditions.
• To control the side effects of a new medicine.
• If you have some risk factors like smoking or obesity and you need help.
• If you are pregnant.
• For lifestyle counselling.

Full Medical check-up recommendations by age

Depending on your age you can undergo different types of check-ups. For example: 

In your 20-30’s:

• Eye exam: to check your sight, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
• Hearing test: to check your audition.
• Blood pressure screening: to detect heart conditions.
• Skin exam: tests for signs of skin cancer.
• Test risk for cervical cancer (women) and testicular exploration (men).
• Glucose: test to detect the risk of suffering diabetes.
• Cholesterol: test to detect cardiovascular risk.
• Dental exam: you should go to the dentist once a year for an exam and cleaning. 

In your 40’s:

• If you are a man, you can add to the above prostate cancer screening for early detection. 
• In women, you can add to the above a mammography for early breast cancer detection, bone density testing, and ovarian screening.

In your 60’s or older:

• You should also add colorectal screening, coronary screening, and some vaccine boosters.

Even though you feel healthy it is important to visit your GP to check for current medical problems, update vaccinations and medications, and ensure that you have a healthy lifestyle. Together with your GP you can decide whether to have a screening test since they can help you avoid problems in the future.