Check-up
In health practices, the main goal is to improve and protect the quality of life of people. Therefore, it is extremely important that preventive medicine practices are carried out correctly and regularly before diagnosis and treatment services. Check-up screenings, which are applied to determine the health status of people, to take preventive measures according to the determined risk factors, and to provide early diagnosis and treatment services for diseases, are critical for the protection of health.
Check-up; It is a health service that covers all diagnostic and examination applications carried out for the purpose of evaluating the general health status of people, clarifying the risk factors for diseases, and controlling, and management of existing health problems. Depending on various parameters such as the age of the person applying for the check-up, additional diseases, and risk factors; The health status of the person is evaluated by using certain screening tests. If necessary, the patient can be referred to other tests, lifestyle changes can be suggested or treatment can be started.
How to Check-Up?
First of all, a detailed history was taken from the person who applied for the check-up, and the general health status of the person; Diagnosed diseases, if any, treatments received or previously received, and family health history is learned. Then, a detailed physical examination is performed and the findings, if any, are recorded.
During the physical examination, values such as blood pressure, pulse, and respiration are measured, as well as specific system examinations such as cardiological examination in heart check-up scans or neurological examination for the evaluation of the nervous system in brain check-up scans. A breast examination in women or an advanced prostate examination in men can be added to the physical examination as part of the check-up.
Which Tests Are Performed in Check-Up?
As part of the routine check-up, in order to determine the general health status of the people;
- Complete blood count (hemogram),
- Complete urinalysis,
- Blood lipid (blood fat and cholesterol) levels,
- Lung X-ray,
- Electrocardiography,
- Thyroid function test is examined.
In addition to the aforementioned routine tests, tests such as antibody tests for hepatitis, HIV or infectious agents in the vaccination program, bone screening for osteoporosis, mammography and pap smear tests for women over 40 can be included in the check-up.
What Does Check-Up Cover?
“What to look for at check-up?” The answer to the question is among the questions that are curious. In the check-up process, detailed examinations and examinations are applied for the following health problems:
- Hypertension,
- Diabetes (diabetes),
- Cerebrovascular diseases,
- Heart diseases,
- Eye diseases,
- Immune system diseases,
- Obesity and high cholesterol,
- Liver and kidney diseases,
- Lung diseases,
- Infectious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, measles,
- Bone resorption (osteoporosis),
- Cancer types such as large intestine (colon) cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical (cervix) cancer,
- Thyroid gland diseases,
- Psychiatric disorders such as depression.
Blood tests scheduled for check-ups are usually concluded within a few hours. The duration of imaging and pathology examinations can take place in wide range from a few hours to a few days, depending on the examination. Results and reporting of tests such as mammography, pap smear, or computed tomography may take a long time.
Depending on the presence of risk factors related to parameters such as the person’s health status, comorbidities, age, and gender, it is recommended to perform check-up screenings within certain periods. Especially in people younger than 50 years of age, check-up screening every three years is beneficial for the prevention of chronic diseases before they develop, early diagnosis, and effective treatment. Since the incidence of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancer, and osteoporosis increases in adults aged 50 and over, it is very important to repeat the screenings for these diseases every year.
The most important step in the fight against cancer is to prevent the disease before it develops, to diagnose developing cancer early, and to start effective treatment as early as possible. For this purpose, screening tests for the diagnosis of cancer in certain risk groups have been planned. It is very important to repeat these tests at certain intervals. Certain blood tests and imaging methods applied within the scope of check-ups provide very important data in the fight against cancer and enable early diagnosis of the disease. If health problems known to be effective in the development of cancer are detected after the check-up, lifestyle changes can be recommended for this. For this reason, it can be said that check-up screenings play a critical role in the fight against cancer.