A recent Cochrane Database Review including 251,891 participants, confirmed that health checks have little effect on total mortality, cancer mortality, and unlikely to be beneficial.
Turns out, research is showing that a specific annual health physical does not have a major role in whether or not you die, whether you die from cancer and how ill you actually get.
But hold on, don\’t be running away from your doc\’s office just yet. There still are some really great reasons to be coming into my office, and I will outline them below. I wish I could spend 20 minutes in each of my patient\’s visits just discussing the utility, risk and benefit of each preventative health test, but with short appointment times and being conscious of your immediate needs, often I feel rushed getting to the thick of preventative care. I\’m getting all riled up because this is ridiculous. If we cannot spend time caring about preventing poor health, then WHAT ARE WE REALLY DOING.
Okay, deep breath.
Let me dive into some worthwhile topics you NEED to know about as a grown adult, to get you to consider when you should next book into see your primary care team.
1. Blood Pressure
There is no age to start screening for high blood pressure, and I like to have every patient presenting to my office screened with a blood pressure reading. High blood pressure is linked to many chronic disease, like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease. ➤ More Info.
2. HPV screening (the \”pap\” test)
Super common, \”human papilloma virus\” affects 3 of 4 males and females who have had sex. There are many strains of this virus, some cause no symptoms, some cause genital warts, and others are cancer strains, which can lead to cervical, anal, penile, and throat cancers. Currently, we use the pap test to detect these changes on the cervix of females who have been sexually active, between the ages of 21 and 69. This type of cancer is almost entirely curable if detected early. In Ontario, if your previous tests have been normal, I should be seeing you every 3 years for this pelvic examination.
➤ More Info.
3. Smoking Discussion
Still one of the leading causes of death from lung cancer in Canada, smoking affects many Canadians. In 2018, 15.8% of Canadians aged 12 and older (roughly 4.9 million people) smoked cigarettes either daily or occasionally (Stats Can 2018). People who smoke 25 cigarettes a day or more have three times the risk for heart attack or stroke and are nearly five times more likely to die of heart disease or stroke (Reference Heart and Stroke)
4. Melanoma Screening
According to the Canadian Cancer Society Website there are a few good reasons you should have a regular skin check at home or by your doctor. If you have fair skin, history of blistering burns, radiation to any area, a family or personal history of skin cancer, or have many moles on your body.
We follow the ABCDE rule, and you can too!
A- asymmetry, does each side of the mole look similar.
B- border, if the edge is looking irregular.
C- colour, if the mole is made of different areas of colour.
D- diameter, if larger than eraser head.
E- evolving, if you think the mole is changing, have it checked.
Any doubt, check it out.
5. Cholesterol Screen
Remember, every time we order a test, I think- what are we expecting, what will we do with the results, and will this test give me the information I need to make a decision.
6. Colon Cancer Screening
Men and women over the age of 50*, are eligible for a stool test to screen for colon cancer, which often goes undetected with no symptoms early in the disease. In Ontario, the test is offered every 2 years.
7. Breast Screening
Women over the age of 50, are eligible for screening mammogram every 2 years in Ontario.
8. Osteoporosis Screening
9. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
More Ontario Cancer Screening Info HERE ⬅
(*or deemed high risk because of personal or family history)
\”There is little evidence to indicate there is value in routine blood tests in asymptomatic patients; instead, this practice is more likely to produce false positive results that may lead to additional unnecessary testing. The decision to perform screening tests, and the selection of which tests to perform, should be done with careful consideration of the patient’s age, sex and any possible risk factors\”. (Choosing Wisely Campaign)
Krogsbøll LT, Jørgensen K, Gøtzsche PC. General health checks in adults for reducing morbidity and mortality from disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD009009. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009009.pub3Boland BJ, et al. Yield of laboratory tests for case-finding in the ambulatory general medical examination. Am J Med. 1996 Aug;101(2):142-52. PMID: 8757353.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to clinical preventive services: An assessment of the effectiveness of 169 interventions [Internet]. 1989 [cited 2014 Feb 15].
Wians FH. Clinical laboratory tests: Which, why, and what do the results mean?. Lab Med. 2009;40:105-13.
Dr. Lorraine Sharp 