Many people work on the principle that they would rather not know about any
underlying or sinister medical conditions they may have. After all, we are all
going to die one day, aren’t we? I have always said that despite all advances in
medical science, the death rate will always be the same - one per person!
However, check-ups are inherently involved in that important
feature called the Quality of Life. Longevity alone, with no quality, just isn’t
worth it in my book. Or yours, most likely, otherwise you would not be reading
this column.
The guiding principle behind check-ups is to find deviations
from normal health patterns at an early stage. Early enough that the trend can
be reversed, before damage has occurred. Examples of this include Blood Pressure
(BP), a significant factor in poor health in the future if unchecked now. High
BP can affect many organs in the body, not just the heart. But an elevated BP
generally gives no warning symptoms.
Another example is blood sugar. Again, it requires sky-high
sugar levels before the person begins to feel that something might be wrong. And
by then the sugar levels have affected vision, the vascular system and many
other systems, all of which can decrease your quality of life in the future.
Amputation of a limb is a common result of unchecked blood sugar levels. A
situation that nobody would wish for themselves, I am sure.
Respiratory conditions also rate high on the list of medical
events that can decrease your quality of life. Yet the majority of these can be
found early, and treated successfully.
Cardiac conditions and abnormalities, be that in anatomy or
function, can also very adversely affect your quality of life, but are very
easily found during a routine check-up. Various blood tests and an EKG can show
just how well the cardiac pump is functioning, and how well it will continue to
function in the future. The inability to walk more than 50 meters certainly
takes the fun out of shopping, yet this can be predicted - if you have some
serial records!
Another of the silent killers can be discovered in your lipid
profile, with Cholesterol and its fractions HDL and LDL, being intimately
connected with your cardiac status. Again a situation where detecting
abnormalities now can mean that you can get through the deadly 50-60 year age
bracket in the future with clear coronary arteries and a clean bill of health.
There are actually so many of the conditions that can affect
your enjoyment of the future that can be discovered early. Renal (kidney)
function and liver function can be monitored through an annual check-up, as can
prostate size (indicated by the PSA blood test) or breast tumors (by mammogram).
So hopefully I have influenced you enough to begin to think
about an annual check-up. If so, I have some very good news for those of you
living in Pattaya. The Bangkok Hospital Pattaya has repeated their previous
King’s birthday promotional packages with big discounts on check-up packages (up
to 70 percent for some individual items, though the check-up packages are
generally at 50 percent off).
Every package can be purchased at hefty discounts from now
until 31 December. As long as you pay for the check-up package before 31
December, you have up till 28 February 2011 to complete the package.
If you are under 40 years of age, and think you are in good
health (non-smoker and moderate drinker) then every two years will be fine. If
you are older than 40, then make it an annual event. It is good ‘insurance’ for
the future.
And what degree of check-up should you go for? If you are in
tip-top health and previous check-ups have been normal, then go for the simple
screen - however, if you are a smoker, or have some previous results outside of
normal, move up a notch to the more comprehensive tests. I would also suggest
that if you are over 50, look for the more detailed check-ups.
