How an Annual Health Check-Up Can Help Detect Hidden Health Issues Early?

The phrase “prevention is better than a cure” is apt when it comes to our health. You don’t want to wait “until something is wrong” to get the medical care you need. Unfortunately, that’s what the majority of the population in the U.S does anyway.

Thoughts like, “Oh! But I am fine!” “What do I need an annual health check-up for. I can run 10 miles, no problem,” are often the reasons we fail to detect underlying health complications early. Not just for severities like cancers, this applies to standard metabolic issues like diabetes, heart complications, etc.

If you’re on the fence about why you should get an annual health check-up in Dallas, regardless of how active and healthy you are, this detailed guide is for you.

Most Chronic Health Conditions are Silent Killers – Did You Know?

One of the most significant challenges in modern healthcare is that many serious illnesses start without any symptoms.

For example, metabolic issues like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disorders and even certain types of cancers, develop and fester quietly, even when the person feels and looks healthy on the outside.

Here’s a breakdown of the “silent killers” that you are likely missing out on without an annual check-up:

Disease	What does it affect?
High blood pressure, aka Hypertension	Can lead to complications like heart attack, stroke, or kidney disease.
Type-2 diabetes	Can damage the nerves, eyes, and kidneys if the glucose levels aren’t managed.
Cholesterol imbalance aka High Cholesterol	Can lead to fat build up in the arteries, increasing the risks of heart disease.
Kidney disease	Can lead to 90% of the damage to the kidney function even before you start noticing symptoms.
Certain cancers	Prostate, colon, breast, and cervical cancers can develop for years before symptoms appear.

These diseases and the irreversible impact they have on our health explains the importance of routine testing. When you get comprehensive annual check-ups, you can catch these diseases early and implement relevant interventions before the damage occurs.

What Does an Annual Health Check-up Include?

If you aren’t fond of check-ups and screening, especially uncomfortable getting tested or seeing doctors for your health, being informed about what to expect during an annual health check-up should take away a lot of that anxiety.

The following steps explain what a typical annual health check-up looks like:

1. Reviewing Medical History and Physical Examination

Even before the “tests” are prescribed, the first step in the check-up or consultation is to review the patient’s medical history. For example, if there is a history of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer in the family, that is taken into account before the next step of the check-up proceeds.

Similarly, a head-to-toe assessment is done by the doctor to checks your vital signs, heart and lung sounds, abdominal organs, neurological function, and more.

2. Monitoring the Vitals

Checking your heart rate, blood pressure, weight, pulse, oxygen saturation in the blood, etc. encompass all the vital signs. Any kinds of irregularities in those readings indicate possibilities of cardiovascular complications, indicating the need for quick intervention and referral to a specialist.

3. Laboratory Tests and Imaging

The next step in your annual check-up involves getting all the routine blood tests including:

• Complete blood count or CBC
• Lipid profile
• Blood glucose and HbA1C
• Liver and kidney function tests
• Thyroid panel
• Vitamin D and B12 levels, etc.

Beyond the standard protocol of blood tests, a urinalysis is also prescribed to the patient to rule out any complications related to urinary tract infections, kidney disease or diabetes.

Depending on the initial consultation and physical assessment (or symptoms you might be experiencing), further imaging tests like ultrasound, CT-scans, etc., might be ordered by the doctor as well.

4. Cancer Screenings

Although not universal for every patient but if there is a history of cancer in your family, your annual health checkup will involve thorough cancer screenings. Some of the tests include:

• Mammogram or Breast Exam
• Pap Smear
• Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test
• Colonoscopy or Fecal Occult Blood Test

Again, you might not have to undergo all these tests for cancer screenings (or at all) and only one or two, depending on the possible family medical history or symptoms that you might be experiencing.

5. EKG, ECG or ECHO

One of the most common silent killers is heart-related complications. They often don’t exert “visible” symptoms until the condition has progressed to disastrous levels. To ensure that your heart is functioning optimally, your annual check-up will also include tests like EKG, ECG and ECHO to detect heart rhythm abnormalities and signs of past or impending heart problems, if any.

6. Lifestyle Assessment and Counselling

If you aren’t leading a healthy lifestyle where you are eating healthy and being fit, chances are that you already negatively impacting your health. Habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, leading a sedentary lifestyle, being chronically stressed, etc., will eventually take a toll on your body without you knowing it.

This is why annual health-checkups allow you to stay informed and make conscious and healthy decisions for your health that allows you to live a disease-free and healthy life.

Who Should Get an Annual Health Check-Up?

Now that you have a well-informed understanding of why you should get an annual health check-up, let us understand who should be getting it.

Everyone—regardless of age—should get a yearly check-up, but certain groups are especially encouraged to stay consistent, including:

• If you are over the age of 30, chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes often begin here, so keeping an eye out on this is crucial.
• If you are a woman over the age of 21, getting regular gynecological screenings and Pap smears are crucial.
• If you are a man over the age of 50, getting prostate exams and colon cancer screenings is vital.
• If your family has a history of chronic illness, an annual check-up is always recommended.
• If you lead an unhealthy lifestyle with smoking, alcohol, etc., getting checkups is necessary.

Even if you feel healthy, don’t skip your check-up. The goal is to stay healthy, not wait until something goes wrong.

Take Charge of Your Health Today!

There’s nothing more important in this world than your health. So, don’t wait until “something goes wrong” before you take action. An annual check-up could be the difference between a minor course correction and a major health crisis and that’s exactly what our doctors at Lakewood Primary Care and Wellness emphasize on.

With us, you can expect:

• Friendly, compassionate care
• Thorough evaluations
• State-of-the-art diagnostic tools
• Personalized wellness plans
• Continuity of care with a trusted provider

Instead of “treating the symptoms,” our focus is to get to the root cause of the complications and nip it at the bud to ensure proper cure and no recurrence. Let us help you take the guesswork out of your well-being and support you every step of the way.

If you’d like to schedule a consultation, call our team at 214-810-4331 or book one online.