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