Why is Regular Health Screening Important?

Unless they are unwell or visiting someone, most people tend to avoid going to hospitals and clinics unless absolutely necessary. However what they don’t realise is that making appointments for regular health screenings can actually have major benefits for your physical health and even add years to your life.

Health screenings represent an early and easily accessible step to safeguarding your long-term health. Clinical tests, physical examinations, and an up-to-date medical history all contribute to early detection and preventive treatment options which are often vastly superior to curative treatment. Find out more about health screenings and why they are of such importance to maintaining your physical health as you get older.

What Are Health Screenings?

Health screenings can consist of full body checkups that commonly involve blood or urine tests, alongside procedures like ultrasounds and x-rays. Once these have concluded, a doctor will go over the test results with you and suggest lifestyle changes or prescribe medication as required.

Why Are Health Screening Important?

The main incentives behind health screenings are early detection of diseases, preventive treatment of chronic illnesses, and monitoring your health as you age.

Although a person might seem perfectly healthy, they may already have certain diseases or conditions that do not exhibit any symptoms until it’s too late. For example some cancers may start as small tumours in otherwise healthy people. Outward signs may only be seen once the cancer is at an advanced stage and treatment options are more limited. Regular health screenings can combat these scenarios with their battery of tests which look for many different cancer markers.

Chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease lead to many millions of deaths worldwide. A thorough full body checkup can generally pick up the warning signs of these diseases and necessary steps can be taken to mitigate the condition, and prevent it from getting worse.

Early intervention is a crucial prerequisite to ensuring better outcomes for patients who might be at risk of developing chronic diseases. Scheduling regular health screening also means that patients and doctors can track their key health indicators and compare them to past results to determine if further interventions are necessary.

Basic Tests Included

The most basic and routine tests like blood glucose levels, urine tests, chest X-rays, obesity measurements, and high blood pressure checks remain the same across both genders. However, health screenings for men also commonly include prostate ultrasounds and testosterone hormone profiles.

Other Tests

While basic tests can cover the most common diseases, more comprehensive health screenings go further to test visual acuity, bone mineral density, uric acid, and Rheumatoid Arthritis Factor to determine if you are at risk for a wider range of chronic diseases. Women’s health screenings can also have mammograms and breast ultrasounds along with tests for cervical cancer.

Health screenings play an important role in preventive medicine. They aid in finding the hidden early warning signs of potentially life-threatening diseases so you can take the appropriate measures to keep yourself fit and healthy.

Sunway Healthcare group is a leading accredited healthcare provider in Singapore with comprehensive health screening packages that can fit your needs and budget. Contact us today to learn more about the services we provide and make an appointment with our team.