Your health can change significantly over time, making certain health screenings more relevant than others, depending on your life stage. Dr Caldis provides a checklist for essential screenings at each decade.
You’ve probably heard of preventive health screenings. They’re known as tests that look for diseases before symptoms are present. In terms of conditions that often show no warning signs, preventive health screenings can be very effective at providing insights about early disease risk so you can take proactive steps with your doctor to prevent illness.
Even if you feel fine, you should still see your provider for regular checkups. These visits can help you avoid problems in the future. For example, the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly. High blood sugar and high cholesterol levels also may not have any symptoms in the early stages. A simple blood test can check for these conditions.
These are our recommendations for healthy individuals. If you have any chronic illness, family history of cancer or take chronic medication, these guidelines may not apply to you. Please consult your doctor or other healthcare providers for advice.
Men How often? When to start?
Screening:
Dentist Once a year Lifelong
Prostate check Once a year 40 years
Colonoscopy Every 10 years 50 years old
Bone density scan At least once 70 years old
Eye test Every 2-3 years 40 years old
Cholesterol test Once a year 40 years old
Blood sugar test Once a year 40 years old
HIV test Once a year As soon as sexually active
Vaccinations:
Flu vaccination Once a year 6 months old
Pneumococcal vaccination Once off 50 years old
Shingles vaccination Once off 50 years old
Book those appointments so you can spot and manage any potential health risks early – saving you greater expense and stress in the future.