For the year-end physical examination, these niche additional examinations are highly recommended!

Audit expert: Wu Xinsheng

Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Gastroenterology

The end of the year is approaching, and the health checkup packages issued by the company are here! Are you tempted? Don't rush to sign, are these packages really suitable for you? In this article, we will reveal the secrets of the year-end health checkup packages, so that you can make a wise choice between your health and your wallet.

Source | pixabay

1

Focus on physical examination content according to age group

During the year-end physical examination, the company usually provides physical examination packages. Some packages may include items that everyone does not really need. In fact, we can first consult a doctor or physical examination institution, or set the focus of the physical examination according to different ages and genders.

During adolescence , when the body is growing, it is essential to check height, weight, and growth curves to assess growth and development and ensure adequate nutrition. In addition, adolescence is a high-incidence period for mental health problems, so it is also necessary to pay attention to the mental state of adolescents.

Adults are more susceptible to chronic diseases, and physical examinations should focus more on risk factors and early screening for chronic diseases. For example, screening for cardiovascular disease includes testing blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and other indicators, as well as regular electrocardiograms and cardiac ultrasound examinations.

In the middle-aged and elderly stage, the incidence of chronic diseases will be higher. It is necessary to focus on the examination of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

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Whether teenagers, adults or middle-aged and elderly people, they should attach importance to regular physical examinations and carry out targeted health management according to the characteristics of different stages in order to maintain physical health, mental health and overall health.

2

Select physical examination items according to gender

The focus of physical examinations for different genders is also different. Men can refer to the following targeted examination items, including:

Prostate cancer screening: This includes a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal exam. This helps detect potential prostate and rectal problems early, providing an opportunity for early treatment.

Kidney function test: Kidneys are important detoxification organs in the human body. Testing kidney function helps to understand whether the kidneys are functioning normally and detect potential kidney problems in a timely manner.

Testosterone test: Male sex hormone levels are crucial to male reproductive health and sexual function. Testing testosterone levels can assess male sex hormone status and help identify potential sexual function problems or hormone imbalances.

Liver function test: The liver is an important metabolic organ in the human body. Ensuring normal liver function helps to detect any liver disease or abnormality early, such as fatty liver, viral hepatitis, etc.

For women , these screenings can help women detect potential health problems early, providing opportunities for early intervention and treatment:

Breast cancer screening: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. Early detection helps improve the success rate of treatment. Mammography and breast ultrasound examination can help detect breast problems early and provide opportunities for early treatment.

Cervical cancer screening: including cervical smear examination and HPV virus testing, which helps to detect cervical abnormalities at an early stage and prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer.

Gynecological examination and endocrine examination: Women’s gynecological health and endocrine status are crucial to their reproductive health and sexual function. Gynecological examination and endocrine examination can assess gynecological health and endocrine status, timely detect potential gynecological diseases and endocrine disorders, such as ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, menstrual disorders, etc., and provide opportunities for early intervention and treatment.

3

Some minor inspection items that are easily overlooked

When doing an annual physical examination, in addition to the routine physical examination items, some niche additional items that are easy to miss may be very important to specific groups of people.

For patients with diabetes, hypertension, and myopia, retinal examination can help detect eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration at an early stage, while ruling out other eye diseases such as retinal detachment and fundus hemorrhage.

Menopausal women or the elderly are at higher risk of osteoporosis due to factors such as changes in hormone levels, changes in diet structure, and lack of exercise. Bone density tests can help detect osteoporosis early, take appropriate prevention and treatment measures, prevent fractures, avoid pain and dysfunction, and improve quality of life.

For smokers and people with a history of respiratory diseases, long-term exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution or other harmful substances significantly increases the risk of developing respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, asthma, etc. Regular lung function tests can help understand whether the lung function is normal and detect lung problems early.

For people who work in toxic and hazardous occupations or have long-term exposure to heavy metals, there may be a risk of inhaling, skin contact or ingesting heavy metals. These heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, are potentially harmful to human health and may cause poisoning and other health problems. Testing for heavy metals in the blood can help understand the level of heavy metals in the body and take appropriate preventive and treatment measures.

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These niche additional examinations can help us understand our health status more comprehensively, take effective health management measures in a timely manner, prevent and treat potential health problems, and improve the quality of life.

4

Do some of the projects on the Internet need

We often see various health check-up items recommended on the Internet, among which the so-called "tumor markers" are very popular. Although some of the health check-up items circulated on the Internet have their innovative advantages, we still need to be cautious.

What is a tumor marker? A tumor marker is a specific protein, antibody or other substance that can be detected in the body fluids of tumor patients. It can indirectly reflect the presence or development of a tumor by testing blood or other physiological fluids. Common tumor markers include CA125 (for ovarian cancer screening), PSA (for prostate cancer screening), CEA (for colon cancer screening), etc. The test results of these markers are usually used to assist doctors in diagnosing the disease, and not everyone needs to do it. However, tumor markers are not specific indicators for all tumors and may also be affected by other diseases. Therefore, relying solely on tumor markers for cancer screening is not reliable.

For example, some DNA testing services circulated online claim that they can collect individual DNA samples through oral swabs or saliva, analyze and sequence the DNA, determine specific genomic information in the DNA sequence, and provide information about genetic diseases, family history, and health risks.

However, we must admit that DNA is a molecule that contains genetic information in organisms. It is composed of thousands of genes, and each gene contains thousands of base pairs. The arrangement and combination of these genes and base pairs form human genetic information, which involves complex genetic information transmission and expression processes. For ordinary people, the interpretation and application of this information requires in-depth knowledge of genetics and molecular biology to understand, and the accuracy of the results is also controversial. In addition, since DNA testing involves personal privacy and sensitive information, when choosing DNA testing services, you need to choose a trustworthy commercial company or medical institution.

Before taking any physical examination items that are circulated on the Internet, especially those involving disease screening, it is best to consult a doctor first to understand the scientific basis and scope of application of the items, and ensure that the items selected are truly beneficial to health. Only by making decisions under professional guidance and choosing reasonable physical examination items that suit us can we better protect our health and avoid unnecessary risks and misunderstandings.

As the physical examination season arrives, we might as well regard the physical examination as a "body cleaning" and let the doctor help us find the "garbage" and "hidden dangers" in the body, conduct personalized health examinations, believe in our own bodies, believe in the doctor's expertise, and let us welcome a healthy future together!