Health screenings are lifesaving medical tests, revealing potentially life-threatening diseases before symptoms appear. Health clinics and doctors provide health screenings as part of patient care, but community centers or charitable organizations also may host health screening events.
Methods
Health screenings look for the first signs of disease with blood tests, visual examinations or medical tools. Doctors use this information to assess your health.
Digestion
Have a colonoscopy when you reach 50. After a day of fasting, a doctor inserts a flexible tube with a camera into the rectum and examines the colon for cancer. Sedation renders the examination painless.
Dental
An oral hygienist examines your mouth, gums and teeth and refers you to a periodontist (gum doctor) or a dentist if she finds infections, cavities or receding gums. According to the American Dental Association, 95 percent of all oral cancers are detected in people over 40.
Vision
The optometrist or ophthalmologist screens for glaucoma and cataracts. Glaucoma raises inner eye (interocular) pressure, and cataracts turn the eyes' lenses cloudy. Both conditions cause blindness if left untreated.
Blood
Detecting high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol during health screening prevents strokes and heart disease. If blood tests reveal high blood glucose levels (diabetes), a doctor may prescribe a special diet or medications to control your diabetes and to prevent diabetic nerve disorders (neuropathy) and blindness.
Tags: blood tests, health screening, Health screenings, high blood
