Getting a health screening done every year involves a lot of benefits for your health condition. This includes maintaining as well as preventing a healthy lifestyle and improving overall well-being. There are different health screening tests that help to detect any underlying health concern so that you can significantly lessen the risks and improve the prediction of the diseases.
All the health screenings provide an in-depth assessment of your lifestyle and detailed analysis of the medical history. Patients are given a comprehensive medical report with diagnostic findings, recommendations and any referrals, when needed. Your private GP in London can help in suggesting important tests to perform for your improved health. Read on to know 5 reasons why you should opt for a health screening.
- Detecting health risks at an early stage – Acute and severe conditions can be benefitted when diagnosed at an early stage. Among them, the obvious one is cancer as early detection will avoid malignant tissue from spreading further in your body. Thus, the earlier the diagnosis is done, the more effective the treatment will be. As per the research, breast, ovarian, bowel, prostate and lung cancer survival rates have improved drastically through early diagnosis. These non-invasive health screening tests can help in saving lives to a great extent:
- Bowel cancer- calprotectin and faecal occult blood (FOBT) tests.
- Breast cancer- mammogram and examination.
- Ovarian cancer- ultrasound and examination.
- Prostate cancer- prostate specific antigen test (PSA) and examination.
- Lung cancer- chest X-ray and sputum cytology.
Heart conditions seem to be undiagnosed till its symptoms such as breathlessness and chest pain are obvious. An ECG will help to detect for vessel blockages or electrical conductivity issues at an early stage. Proper medication and changes in lifestyle are suggested that can prevent the progression of heart disease. This might probably prevent a heart attack in future. Health screening can help to detect life threatening diseases with underlying health problems that can affect your energy levels regularly. This will consist of – hormone levels, thyroid function, blood sugar and nutrient deficiencies. Even small fluctuations might leave a big impact in your overall well-being.
- Changes in your lifestyle – By knowing the ways how your lifestyle can affect overall wellness, health screenings may help to take ahead positive steps so that you can remain healthy. This will consist of some changes in your diet, smoking cessation, stress management and exercise regime. Everyone should take the effort of measuring their blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol and vitality.
You need to book a health screening to know more about your health problems and address them quickly. Thus, small changes in your standard of living can bring great benefit on your health condition and overall well-being in the long run. When you live a fulfilled life for your optimal health, then this will provide you with more confidence and complete peace of mind.
- Family history and genetic risk factors – If you do not see your private GP regularly, then he might not be able to evaluate your family background thoroughly. This means you might be at greater risk of getting an inherited condition from someone in your family and you may manifest it at later stage of life. By understanding the risks associated, you can make changes in your lifestyle to reduce the chances of developing some hereditary diseases. Besides, diabetes, hypertension and heart failure are common illness found in most families, however, maintaining a healthy life can help to stay away from some of them.
- Perform specific health screening – Health screening can be done on a case-by-case basis. This means certain factors will be taken into consideration at the time of deciding which tests need to be done. This is more convenient, affordable and ensures the diagnostics have been targeted properly. Endoscopy is considered to be an invasive test that involves inserting a camera into the colon. But, when other preliminary non-invasive tests are done, they may rule out the requirement for severe measures.
Endoscopies are not needed but when suggested as part of a complete clinical picture that include – age, symptoms, family history, etc. The same is applicable for other tests that can cause harm to your health such as overuse of x-ray imaging. Age, family history, gender and life-style may influence risk factors for certain disease. Thus, any assessment plan should be customised to meet the requirements of the individual.
- Advanced research and patient empowerment – It is essential that patients get treated with the most advanced medicines in research findings. According to the NHS, people who are in the age group of 40 to 74 years should get their health check done in every five years. This is generally based on the age at which diabetes, stroke, heart and kidney disease may develop. As per the NHS Health Check findings, it has been estimated that: –
- 1 among 27 has been diagnosed with high pressure.
- 1 in 110 is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
- 1 in 265 is already diagnosed having kidney disease.
The research trends in disease prediction are pointing towards early detection and prevention so that you can maintain a healthy lifestyle. This will enable the doctors to treat the cause than its symptoms which improves risk reduction and responsiveness of the disease to proper therapy.
Thus, the key considerations for health screenings should be transparency and people need to be informed about neutral health guidelines available for the public. For this, you need to find a qualified private GP in London who can help to decide whether or not they should get a health screening test done for themselves. This will enable you to stay protected from several diseases and maintain an improved lifestyle.
