Most of the time people don’t realise that they are suffering from a disease because they don’t show any symptoms. The early identification of diseases is extremely important. It will give people a chance to control their health in a much better way. People can know about their risk for the emergence of chronic illnesses even before the symptoms are present so that action can still be taken with the help of preventive health screening tests. The basic factors that are checked before any health screening are a person’s weight and height, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
What will happen during a health screening test?
A health screening test can take a few hours to half a day. The duration will depend on the number of tests that the person has to go through. The early detection of any health condition can really help from becoming something chronic at the later stages. Complications can be avoided to a great extent with the help of these health screenings. The first step of any screening will be measuring the basic features like the height, weight, etc. which will be helpful for the identification of the risks for the health issues like type 2 diabetes, stroke, and other heart conditions, etc. The cholesterol and glucose levels are checked. They will also measure the person’s blood pressure. This will help in the estimation of a person’s heart health. Some of the other common tests will include x-rays, urine analysis, and fecal analysis. The health screening recordings will be chronicled in the person’s personal file. Once the screening is done, the healthcare expert can explain the results, clear doubts if any, and recommend if further action is required.
Even though people are realising the importance of health screening tests. Still there are some who are not convinced about going for regular screenings.
Here are a few reasons why people will avoid going for the health screening –
● Many people will avoid going for a medical check-up simply because they don’t have time. They may have some prior commitments which are important. However, now people have many options where samples are collected from their home, or a check up can be done during break time in the office.
● Some people don’t want to leave their children and some may not want to get their children to a clinic because they fear that the children might get sick or they might get bored and irritated.
● Some people are apprehensive about screenings as they fear about the results. Some are terrified about the whole process and experience nervousness and anxiety.
● People feel they might fall ill.
● The most common reason of avoiding screening is that people feel they are healthy. They don’t have any family history of diseases and they don’t show any signs and symptoms of any health conditions. However, in many cases there might not any signs or symptoms and people can have diseases without feeling anything.
Why is a health screening test essential?
● Protection of your health: Identify any health problems in the early stages itself which will help in managing and protecting your health.
● We are aware of our health situation: A health screening test performed every year will let us be more aware of our health condition.
● Early identification: A regular health check-up enables the early identification of diseases, of which a person may be unaware because of no signs and symptoms.
● Better management of health: A health screening done every year will help in the timely detection and hence, better management of a person’s health.
We have seen the benefits of going for regular health screenings. But are there any disadvantages of health screenings? Here are some of the cons of health screenings–
● There is the cost of screening tests.
● Sometimes people are not sure about the benefit of early detection. Diagnosing a disease early may not lead to positive outcomes.
Some of the points to keep in mind when you go for health screening tests.
● Make sure you have not eaten anything for at least 8 hours before going in for the screening test.
● Women should not go for health screenings if they are having periods at the time.
● People should postpone the screening if not feeling well.
● Do not wear tight clothes. Wear clothes that are comfortable.
● Don’t put any cream or perfume on your skin.
● In case anyone is suffering from any chronic conditions, the doctor should be consulted.
Takeaway
Getting a regular health screening test done is very crucial for your health. A health screening will help the doctor to check for any diseases before the appearance of any visible signs and symptoms. If the problems are found in the early stages, it is much easier to treat them before they can become dangerous.
