Why One Should Go for a Regular Health Check-up?

According to WHO or the World Health Organization, health is the complete state of social, mental, and physical well-being, not just illness or weakness. If you wish to live up to this definition, then opting for regular health checkups is essential [1]. Unlike the common perception of people, health checkups must not be taken only when they are feeling any discomfort or weakness [2]. Undergoing health checkups regularly has a pivotal role in enhancing your overall health while following a proactive approach.

Whether it is periodic evaluations of health, wellness appointments, or general medical exams, these regular health checkups will help you stay aware of whether you are healthy or at risk of developing chronic health issues like a stroke, diabetes, or kidney disease [3]. Apart from optimizing your health status, regular medical checkups and examinations will help improve your mental health and avoid high spending on medical bills in the future. Read on to learn the significance of preventive healthcare and how it would benefit you in the long run.

Importance of Preventive Healthcare

Preventive healthcare helps perform a comprehensive assessment to evaluate your overall health status. It helps in identifying the onset of any potential health risks to prevent them from developing into serious health threats [4]. Preventive healthcare focuses on detecting anomalies early and preventing them from developing further to aid in enhanced health outcomes and timely medical intervention. Your healthcare provider will suggest a series of medical evaluations, physical examinations, and tests to check different aspects related to your health.

Regular health checkup results will be evaluated based on parameters like age, medical history, gender, factors of risk, and gender. Preventive healthcare not only creates awareness to maintain better health but also detects any medical conditions early [5]. So, the chances of treating it successfully and enhancing longevity are possible.

Essentials of Regular Health Check-ups

Your regular health checkup will usually contain all or some of the following tests to determine your health parameters. They are:

• Cholesterol Test: It determines the levels of good and bad cholesterol in your blood, which will help determine if you are facing the risk of developing stroke or heart issues.
• Physical Examination: Your physician will ask you a few questions about your health habits, family medical history, and occupation to understand your lifestyle [6]. Your height and body weight will be determined to identify your BMI or Body Mass Index. He will suggest changes in your workouts and diet if your body weight is not within a healthy range.
• Blood Pressure Assessment: This assessment helps in determining your blood pressure levels to alleviate risky conditions like heart issues.
• Blood Sugar Test: This test will evaluate your blood glucose level to determine the onset of diabetes or prediabetes. [7]
• Mammogram: These tests for women involve taking X-ray images of your breasts to determine if there are any changes. As soon as you turn 50, your doctor might advise you to take a mammogram once in two years.
• Bone Density Test: As you age, the bones begin to get weaker, which is why bone density is determined periodically for older people to avoid fractures or broken bones.
• Skin Test: Taking skin tests regularly will help in identifying fresh growths, marks, moles, or new lumps formed on the skin. Some of these signs might be indicators of skin cancer, which can help in early detection and timely treatment.
• Dental Exam: This checkup is performed twice a year to maintain excellent oral health. So, issues like gum diseases and cavities can be avoided.
• Prostate Examination: This is a screening test that will detect the early signs of prostate cancer in men aged above 50 years. It will also include a Digital Rectal Exam and Prostate Specific Antigen.
• Cervical Cancer Screening: This is a physical examination for women aged between 21 and 65 years to determine signs of any diseases.

Top Benefits of Regular Health Check-ups

In case you are still wondering about taking up regular medical checkups, keep reading to learn about its benefits to convince you to fix an appointment with your healthcare professional right away [8].

1. Physical Health Benefits

Regular health checkups are vital in promoting and maintaining your physical health. You will be able to compare your current health reports with the previous report to understand which parameters require immediate attention [9]. You will be able to understand the blood sugar level, blood pressure readings, pulse rate, heart rate, and more. Your doctor will advise which parameters require improvements to maintain your physical health. He might suggest making dietary changes, lifestyle alterations, workouts, and activities like walking, running, or yoga.

With lifestyle changes and physical workouts, you will be able to maintain a healthy range of blood pressure and blood sugar, which is essential to avoid chronic health issues like heart attack, diabetes, stroke, kidney diseases, and more. Such proactive approaches like lifestyle recommendations, vaccinations, and screenings will help enhance your health outcomes and improve your quality of life. Even with a busy work schedule, you can keep your BMI, cholesterol, and stress levels under check with regular medical checkups.

2. Early Detection of Health Issues

Regular checkups help detect the development of health conditions and pave the way for timely medical treatment and intervention. Routine health checkups will include blood work, cholesterol tests, screening tests for cancer like colonoscopies and mammograms, immunity tests, and mental health checkups. You can also take routine screening tests to identify STIs or sexually transmitted infections.

As the potential health issues are detected early, you can seek medical attention to avoid escalating into serious problems. Early detection of health conditions will be highly beneficial, as you can treat them quickly and prevent them from causing irrevocable damage to your body. Whether it is cancer, tuberculosis, jaundice, liver cirrhosis, or malaria, the chances of getting cured are high when detected during the initial phases. With regular medical checkups, you can promote longevity.

3. Preventive Measures for Chronic Diseases

One of the major benefits of regular health checkups is preventing the onset of chronic health issues by detecting their symptoms early. Your doctor can detect the signs of specific illnesses and risk factors through your routine tests and screenings. The symptoms of chronic diseases, such as kidney failure, fatty liver, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, can be alleviated with timely treatment [10].

It is possible to prevent serious medical issues from advancing to the fatal stage. By identifying the signs of chronic medical conditions early, you can take specific proactive measures to manage your health while keeping complex complications at bay.

4. Improved Management of Existing Conditions

Suppose you are already dealing with serious health issues like diabetes, asthma, heart issues, arthritis, or hypertension. In that case, periodic medical checkups will help track the progression rate of these diseases. Based on the checkup reports, your doctor can change the existing treatment, tweak medications, or recommend a few lifestyle modifications to ensure the current health issues are managed perfectly.

Also, for people having chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes or hypertension, consistent monitoring through such checkups allows your physician to modify treatment plans when needed for better disease management and to keep symptoms under control [11]. Such proactive monitoring will help in avoiding complications and improve your overall health.

5. Mental Health Benefits

Regular health checkups not only improve your physical health but also improve your mental well-being [12]. These routine checkups offer you an opportunity to discuss the factors related to your stress or anxiety caused by a symptom of an illness like acute pain or partial mobility. Knowing the root cause of your mental stress will help your doctor suggest proactive measures to make you stress-free.

And, discussing your concerns with your physician regarding your existing medical condition will give your professional guidance and emotional support to optimize your mental well-being. Knowing that your health is on track and monitored through timely checkups will help eliminate unwanted stress and give you peace of mind.

6. Financial Benefits – Cost Savings In The Long Run

Some might perceive these regular health checkups as an unwanted expense. Still, on the contrary, they help you save significant sums of money on medical costs in the future [13]. As the symptoms of chronic health conditions are detected early, you can prevent expensive treatments, which are essential for treating diseases in an advanced stage.

As your physician would suggest preventive measures after each health checkup, you will be able to avoid visits to emergency rooms and hospitalization, which might have substantial costs. Plus, you will be able to avoid risky and expensive surgical procedures. Regularly taking up health checkups will help achieve better health while paving the way for cost savings in the long run.

Summing Up

It’s high time you realize the benefits offered by regular medical checkups, as they help you stay healthy and fit. Regular health checkups offer a comprehensive approach to health while optimizing your overall health by improving the mental, physical, and financial aspects. Ensure you prioritize preventive care to detect any health anomalies early through periodic screenings, tests, and examinations. Follow up on these health checkups with consultations with your family physician to manage your health and achieve a better quality of life.

References

1. Kherad, O., & Carneiro, A. V. (2023). General health check-ups: To check or not to check? A question of choosing wisely. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 109, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2022.12.021 – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0953620522004502
2. Rath, B. N., & Deb, A. (2017). Perception towards Regular Health Check-ups. Journal of Health Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063416682646 – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0972063416682646
3. Toshiko Uchida, MD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics – https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2021/06/11/routine-medical-checkups-have-important-health-benefits/
4. Jill Jin, MD, MPH: Associate Editor, JAMA 2022;327(14):1410. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.1775 – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2790936
5. Ngo, T. T., Hoang, P. N., Pham, H. V., Nguyen, D. N., T. Bui, H. T., Nguyen, A. T., Do, T. D., Dang, N. T., Dinh, H. Q., Truong, D. Q., & Le, T. A. (2021). Routine Medical Check-Up and Self-Treatment Practices among Community-Dwelling Living in a Mountainous Area of Northern Vietnam. BioMed Research International, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8734615 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8087461/
6. Harvard Health Publishing® of The President and Fellows of Harvard College – https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ready-for-your-routine-medical-checkup-202107282555
7. McGuffee, A. E., Chillag, K., Johnson, A., Richardson, R., Williams, H., & Hartos, J. (2020). Effects of Routine Checkups and Chronic Conditions on Middle-Aged Patients with Diabetes. Advances in Preventive Medicine, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4043959 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7063879/
8. Lee, H.Y., Kim, S., Neese, J. et al. Does health literacy affect the uptake of annual physical check-ups?: Results from the 2017 US health information national trends survey. Arch Public Health 79, 38 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00556-w – https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-021-00556-w
9. Saudi Journal of Health Systems Research 1(1):16-25 DOI:10.1159/000514178 – https://www.researchgate.net
10. Hamasaki, H., & Yanai, H. (2023). Periodic health checkups reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 4, 1087303. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcdhc.2023.1087303 – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcdhc.2023.1087303/full
11. Ayoub RA, Albrahim HT, Alhakami MS, Ageely EH, Alwadani RS, Shayani HM, Shteafi SA, DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S376345 – https://www.dovepress.com/an-assessment-of-the-knowledge-and-practices-of-adults-in-jazan-saudi–peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PPA
12. Yu-Ling Chen, Ming-Shiang Wu, Shih-Heng Wang, Yin-Ju Lien, Shih-Cheng Liao, Chia-Ming Chang – DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100978 – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(23)00296-1/fulltext
13. Fazal, F., Shahani, H. A., Gondal, M. F., Tanveer, U., Haider, M., Sabah, N. U., Shahzad, F., & Ur Rehman, M. E. (2023). Attitudes and Factors Determining the Practice of Routine Medical Checkups in the People of Rawalpindi, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.38843 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10256253/