Regular health screenings from around age 40 are important for several reasons. First and foremost: early detection of risk factors for serious or chronic diseases enables prevention, delay of progression, or even cure.
In many healthcare systems, screening programs for women (mammography) and men (PSA testing) are widely used. Still, routine checks for blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids are often not a standard practice. Even when these values are elevated for years they may cause no symptoms, which means organ damage may already be underway before the condition is discovered.
By doing targeted blood tests and a comprehensive screening you may answer questions such as:
- Do I have diabetes or a pre-diabetic condition?
- Do I have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (such as heart attack or stroke), dementia or certain cancers?
- For fertile women, could my fatigue be due to iron deficiency? In cases of exhaustion or chronic fatigue, could it be due to thyroid disease, B12 deficiency or high calcium levels?
- Is high blood pressure connected to insulin resistance, chronic stress, kidney disease or elevated stress hormones?
- If I am overweight and carry excess abdominal fat, could elevated triglycerides and liver tests indicate a fatty liver?
Common chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated lipids, cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney failure, dementia and associated cancers are increasingly occurring at younger ages. When detected early, many of these conditions can be prevented, delayed or treated more effectively, which leads to a longer and healthier life.
In summary: A visit to a physician plus relevant blood tests can provide important answers about current health status and future risk. While such tests cannot guarantee that you’ll remain disease-free in every respect, they can help exclude or detect the common chronic illnesses we screen for. Having the information early gives you a much better opportunity to take control of your health and make the best of your life.
