It took considerable time during two decades of my experience in healthcare to get convinced about usefulness of routine(general) health check.The objectives of this health note is to answer following questions:
The answer to first question is an emphatic yes. There are many disease processes which are indolent at one point of time and manifest later. These abnormal conditions or processes may be developmental (by birth or birth related), infections, life style diseases, behavioural and mental health deviations, and even more sinister cancers. Benefits of regular check are manifolds. Important of them is identification of risk factors, which may contribute to diseases like primary hypertension (abnormally elevated blood pressure),diabetes,breast and bowel cancers, heart ailments like myocardial ischemia(heart attacks). And from an individual’s perspective more important among these are modifiable risk factors like lack of physical exercise and substance abuse.
few of them being independent risk factors, active management of these factors brings down the risk of the diseases caused by them drastically and there is no need to reiterate the well known fact ‘prevention is better than cure’. This detection may also lead to a scenario wherein some kind of intervention ,in the form of drug therapy needs to initiated.For example if one is found to have elevated unwanted cholesterols(which may be in part or significantly due to genes one is endowed with),can be advised drugs to control cholesterols levels which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack .The principle of identification and mitigation of risks can be extended to modern day epidemics like accidents and nutritional disorders. The latter deserves a special mention due to the fact that it exhibits tip of ’iceberg’ phenomenon (large number of individuals will remain undetected) and a simple advice on diet can change the health map of individual.
Another scenario which can emerge during health check is detection of ‘incidental’ lesion (structural abnormality).And the plan of management of such incidental finding may be interesting and challenging but battle is half won once it is detected. Example for this scenario is a detection of renal cyst (fluid containing lesion of kidney) during ultrasound examination of abdomen, this doesn’t warrant any kind of treatment provided it is not huge enough to disturb the neighbourhood organs. In case it is intermediate in size, it can be monitored through regular surveillance.
Non progression of abnormality during regular interval checks indicates non dangerous(benign) nature of the lesion and obviates the need of aggressive management in the form of treatment or further investigation. The lack of awareness of presence of touch me not(do not need treatment) lesion in early part of life may lead to a scenario of diagnostic dilemma in favour of dangerous(need active treatment)lesion later down the line. For example a focal abnormality like haemangioma(a benign blood vessel tumour) of liver might be viewed with suspicion in elders,whereas a stable lesion like afore mentioned liver haemangioma confirmed on regular health checks can be safely ‘well left’ alone.
On some occasions one may be diagnosed to have processes like stone formation in kidneys. This can be treated effectively both with lifestyle measures and drugs before they manifest with symptoms.
Similarly breast and kidney cancers can be picked up before they cause symptoms. If no significant abnormality is detected, nothing can be more reassuring than that! That is the perfect gift for the year! One also gets an opportunity to discuss about one’s sexual life, emotional and spiritual well being.