| Everyone's getting more educated and informed | | | | need to regularly screen their workers for hearing |
| nowadays. They know heart attacks, strokes and | | | | problems). |
| cancer are the major killers. They also know it is | | | | So what about otherwise well people who are |
| possible to detect certain conditions early, hence | | | | just worried and want to get tested, just to |
| making it potentially treatable. | | | | make sure ? |
| Breast cancer would be a good example. | | | | There are no hard and fast rules. In some |
| Mammograms have been able to pick up the | | | | countries, you pay the money, you get the test. |
| disease at such an early stage that it is potentially | | | | No problem right ? Well, there are some things |
| curable. There is a good chance now that if it is | | | | you may want to look out for before deciding to |
| detected early, the patient is more likely to die of | | | | do the test. |
| some unrelated cause. | | | | Is the test safe ? Will it harm me ? Colonoscopy ( |
| Early detection of other conditions, for example | | | | a scope inserted up your rear end to check the |
| diabetes or obesity, allow treatment , so | | | | large intestine) has a small risk of perforation or |
| preventing further complications of the disease, | | | | bleeding. Your doctor needs to determine the |
| like a heart attack. | | | | risks versus the benefits of the test. A CT |
| In the old days, people only went to see the | | | | coronary angiogram ( a scan of the heart arteries |
| doctor when they felt sick. Now they are starting | | | | to see if they are blocked) involves a lot of |
| to see the doctor even when they feel well. They | | | | exposure to radiation. |
| want to know if they have any risks for diseases | | | | Is the test easy to do ? Screening for obesity |
| , or if they are in the early stages of some | | | | using the BMI is easy. Testing blood for high |
| diseases, where early treatment can result in a | | | | cholesterol or high sugar, is easy. So is a Pap |
| cure. | | | | smear for cervical cancer. |
| Hence, the birth of health screening as an industry. | | | | Is the test accurate ? No use doing a test if the |
| In some countries, it's a business. You can buy | | | | results don't give you a good answer. eg. the |
| health screening packages, where tests are done | | | | blood test for the cancer marker for colon cancer |
| on every part of you - blood samples, urine | | | | may go up in other medical conditions, or not be |
| samples, stool samples can all be taken, and a | | | | raised in early cancer. So a "normal" result doesn't |
| scope can be stuffed into practically every orifice. | | | | mean anything. Neither does a "raised" result. |
| Everything can be seen nowadays. Unfortunately, | | | | Pap smears, mammograms, tests for BMI, blood |
| not all conditions can be detected early. And not all | | | | pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol are |
| tests are equally good at detecting conditions. | | | | reasonably accurate. |
| Some tests sold as part of a complete health | | | | Does the test make a difference? Mammograms |
| check-up may not necessarily exclude a condition, | | | | do detect breast cancer early enough for |
| or reduce one's chances of dying if picked up. In | | | | treatment. Pap smears detect cervical cancer in |
| fact, over-investigation may even lead to | | | | its pre-cancerous stage. Cure rates are high. So |
| unnecessary further tests, procedures and a lot | | | | the tests are worth doing. |
| of anxiety. | | | | What is the test trying to look for ? Some people |
| So who should do health screening ? People with | | | | just want to have their whole body scanned in |
| family histories of certain medical conditions should | | | | the hope of detecting some small tumour. It |
| go before they develop symptoms. eg, a strong | | | | doesn't work that way. Perfectly healthy people |
| family history of heart attacks, certain cancers. | | | | may have variations in their organs, or benign |
| Most people above 40 should consider getting | | | | cysts and growths. We don't all look the same |
| themselves checked at least once, and then | | | | inside. This may lead to unnecessary further |
| maybe 3 yearly if no problems are detected. | | | | tests, even operations, not to mention the terrible |
| Companies use health screening to determine if | | | | stress the patient has to undergo while waiting |
| potential employees are suitable for the job. | | | | for results. |
| Others use it to determine if their employees are | | | | So before you go for health screening, ask you |
| still fit on the job. Some jobs can be dangerous | | | | doctor about the tests you are going to do. It's |
| for people with certain medical conditions ( would | | | | good to have more knowledge about your own |
| you really want a truck driver to have a history | | | | body. And it helps if you can take steps today to |
| of uncontrolled fits?) , and other jobs can be | | | | prevent diseases. But you do need to understand |
| dangerous for the worker's health ( eg. industries | | | | what you are going to do. |
| with machines that produce loud noises would | | | | |