Medical check-ups help to prevent diseases and to control others that already exist in the patient. Dr. Cuesta, specialist in Family Medicine, explains their usefulness.
How often is it advisable to have a medical check-up?
In general, it is recommended to have a medical check-up every four years before the age of 40, every two years until the age of 60, and a check-up every year after this age.
Healthy adults can have a check-up once every two years, a periodicity that can be reduced to one year in the case of patients suffering from any disease, such as people with cholesterol, obesity, smokers, etc.
What clinical controls should be performed in a medical check-up?
Some of the controls that the specialist may request in a general medical checkup include: clinical blood and urine tests, blood pressure evaluation, electrocardiogram, audiometry, visual acuity, anthropometric measurements, abdominal ultrasound or chest X-ray, among others.
What pathologies can we prevent with a proper medical check-up?
With a proper medical check-up many pathologies and imbalances can be detected, such as high or low cholesterol levels, anemia, thyroid disorders… Thanks to this, diseases can be treated at an early stage, before they become more serious. In the same way, we can prevent these pathologies from becoming chronic and increase the chances of treatment and cure.