Generality
In the medical field, the term Check-up indicates a series of tests and diagnostic tests, which allow an in-depth assessment of the general state of health of a person.
What is a check-up?
A check-up is a path of examinations and diagnostic tests, performed on the advice of a doctor, aimed at thoroughly assessing the general state of health of a person.
Usually, people to whom doctors recommend a check-up are individuals who, due to a medium-advanced age or sex, are at risk of certain pathologies or alterations of the normal physiological functions of the organism.
Targets
The main objectives of a check-up are:
- Identification of possible risk factors for some diseases (for example: cardiovascular risk factors);
- Early diagnosis of diseases that are silent in the initial phase.
An early diagnosis of diseases with these characteristics makes it possible to slow down the course of the same, to cure them with greater probability of success, to avoid their degeneration in complications, etc .;
- Prevention against typical diseases of a certain age or a certain category of people.
Exams
The word check-up includes examinations and clinical tests of all types: from simple questionnaires relating to clinical and family history up to more complex instrumental examinations and so-called screening tests, passing through blood, urine, visual skills etc. .
Below, this section of the article contains an easy-to-consult outline of the most well-known check-up checks and their purposes.
| Check-up exam | Purposes |
Blood analysis | They can provide information on:
|
Urinalysis | Provides information about the functioning of the urinary tract. Moreover, it allows to diagnose urinary infections (or urinary tract infections), which affect organs like kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. |
Blood pressure measurement | It allows to detect blood pressure abnormalities (pre-hypertension, hypertension and hypotension). |
Electrocardiogram | Painless and not at all invasive, it provides information on the functioning of the heart. |
Arterial echocolordoppler | It is useful for:
|
Eye examination | Important for individuals aged 40 and older, it is used to identify early adult eye diseases, such as presbyopia, cataract and age-related macular degeneration. |
Otorhinolaryngology visit | Suitable for people over the age of 40, it is used to assess the acoustic capacity and to determine whether or not it is appropriate to use a hearing aid (eg: hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc.). |
Dental visit | It is used to assess the health of teeth and gums. Diseases such as heart disease can depend on bad tooth health. |
Abdominal ultrasound | Painless and not at all invasive, it allows the observation of organs and anatomical structures such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, intestine, pancreas, large blood vessels, bile ducts, etc. and identify on these possible anomalies (eg: tumors). |
Dermatological control of moles | It is useful for the recognition of malignant skin tumors. |
Search for occult blood in the stool and rectosigmoidoscopy | They serve for an early diagnosis of colorectal cancer. |
MOC or Computerized Bone Mineralometry | It measures the levels of calcium and other minerals in the bones of the human skeleton, providing a parameter known as bone mineral density (BDM), which is useful for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia. |
Gynecological examination and pelvic ultrasound (for women) | They are essential for assessing the general state of health of the uterus and ovaries, before menopause (a woman's fertile age), during menopause and after menopause. |
Pap test and colposcopy (for women) | They allow the early detection of cervical cancer. |
Mammography (for women) | It allows the early detection of breast cancer. |
Digital rectal exploration and PSA dosing (for men) | They allow the early identification of prostate cancer. |
Screening test
To understand the importance of a screening test and why it deserves a special treatment, it is essential to remember what it is:
- A screening test is a diagnostic test that allows to identify, in a group of people considered at risk for a specific disease, those subjects who have a high probability of suffering from the aforementioned pathology; in this way, those at risk may be subjected to more detailed investigations and possibly early / preventive therapy.
In other words, a screening test is a check performed to identify, among the potential targets of a given pathology, the possible future patients, so that they can be addressed early to more specific investigations and, possibly, to appropriate therapies.
It is important to point out that the execution of a screening test is not based on the presence of symptoms, but only and exclusively on the belonging of an individual to a group of people at risk for a certain disease. This means that screening tests are also provided for apparently healthy and healthy people.
Among the various diagnostic tests that, for certain groups of people, may represent a screening test, those certainly most important and worthy of a quote in this article dedicated to the concept of check-ups are:
- The search for occult blood in the stool;
- The pap test;
- Mammography;
- Blood pressure measurement.
Other screening tests of some relevance:
- Blood glucose measurement (every 2 years, starting at 18)
- Measurement of cholesterol and triglycerides (every 2 years, starting at 18)
- Digital rectal exploration and PSA dosing (for men aged 50 and over)
- Control of moles (every 2-3 years)
Search for occult blood in stool
Classically used in the identification of the causes of an anemic state, the search for occult blood in the faeces is used as a screening test in the early identification of colorectal cancer among people aged 50 to 75 years.
Therefore, specifically among individuals of the aforementioned age, the search for occult blood in the stool may also represent an oncological screening test .
What is colorectal cancer?
When we talk about colorectal cancer of the intestine, we mean a malignant neoplasm that can affect the colon (colon cancer ), the sigmoid colon (sigmoid tumor ) or the rectum colon (rectal tumor ).
EVERYTHING IS INTENDED?
According to what established by the Italian health-medical institutions, people between 50 and 69 years are called to repeat the search for occult blood in the faeces, as a preventive cancer check-up, once every 2 years.
Curiosity: why precisely from the age of 50?
Colon cancer and rectal cancer are malignant neoplasms whose incidence increases significantly from the age of 50. This explains why the invitation to undergo research on occult blood in stools every two years is for those aged 50 and over.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
The search for occult blood in the faeces is simple and consists in the collection (generally performed from home) of a small sample of feces and in the search, in the latter, for traces of blood not visible to the naked eye (a research which is obviously a personal matter expert and prepared for the purpose).
As far as Italy is concerned, those who are about to undergo the search for occult blood in the faeces must not adhere to any particular dietary regime.
The search for occult blood in the stool is a quick and painless test.
WHY DO YOU RUN?
To justify a screening test for the early detection of colorectal cancer is the fact that the latter is on the podium of the most common and deadly malignancies.
WHAT IS A POSITIVE RESULT?
If the search for occult blood in the stool is positive (that is, there is occult blood in the stool), a more specific diagnostic investigation is called, called Rettosigmoidoscopy, which serves to definitively clarify whether or not there is a colorectal cancer.
In such a context, the rectosigmoidoscopy represents a second-level screening test (the search for occult blood in the stool is, instead, of the first level) for the early detection of colorectal cancer.
PAP test
The Pap test is a medical procedure specifically designed to cover the role of cancer screening test, in the early detection of cervical cancer, in all women aged between 21 and 64 years.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer (or cervical cancer) is a malignant tumor that originates from a cell in the end of the uterus, a part that precedes the opening of the latter in the vagina.
Preceded generally by pre-cancerous lesions that owe their formation to particular strains of Human Papilloma Virus ( HPV ), cervical cancer is one of the most widespread forms of cancer among women worldwide.
EVERYTHING IS INTENDED?
According to what established by the Italian health-medical institutions, women between 25 and 64 years are called to perform the Pap test, as a preventive cancer check-up, once every 3 years.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
The Pap test consists in collecting, through the use of a special spatula, a sample of cells belonging to the cervix and cervical canal, and in the analysis of this cell sample in the laboratory.
A gynecologist performs the Pap test.
The Pap test requires some preparation and represents a mildly invasive procedure.
WHY DO YOU RUN?
To justify a screening test for the early detection of cervical cancer is the fact that the latter is on the podium of the most deadly malignancies among women under the age of 40.
WHAT IS A POSITIVE RESULT?
The positivity of a Pap test does not mean the presence of cervical cancer, but only that the person being tested is at risk.
To establish the extent of this risk and the truthfulness of what emerged from the Pap test, a more specific diagnostic investigation, called colposcopy, is needed.
In such a context, colposcopy represents a second-level screening test for early detection of cervical cancer, carried out following a Pap test with an abnormal outcome.
Mammography
Mammography is a diagnostic test classically used in the research of tumors and cysts at the level of female breasts, which also becomes an oncological screening test in the early identification of malignant breast cancer, specifically in all women aged 50 to 69 years.
EVERYTHING IS INTENDED?
According to what established by the Italian health-medical institutions, women between 50 and 69 years are called to perform a bilateral mammography, as a preventive cancer check-up, once every 2 years.
Curiosity: why precisely from the age of 50?
Malignant breast cancer is a form of cancer whose incidence, in women, increases significantly from the age of 50. This explains why the invitation to undergo a bilateral mammogram every two years is aimed at those aged 50 and over.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Mammography is a radiological diagnostic test; therefore, its execution involves exposing the examined woman to a certain dose of X-rays .
Completely painless procedure, mammography does not require special preparation or even drug administration. Nevertheless, it is impossible to consider it completely non-invasive, precisely because of the aforementioned exposure of the patient to a certain dose of X-rays, which have mutagenic properties.
The duration of a mammogram is generally 10-15 minutes.
WHY DO YOU RUN?
To justify a screening test for the early detection of malignant breast cancer is the fact that the latter, in the female population, represents the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death.
WHAT IS A POSITIVE RESULT?
The positivity of a mammogram, as part of the breast cancer check-up, leads to more in-depth diagnostic examinations (for example breast biopsy ), aimed at establishing the degree and stage of neoplasia.
Blood pressure measurement
The measurement of blood pressure - or the pressure with which the blood circulates inside the blood vessels as a result of the pumping action of the heart - is a routine medical check, part of the tests aimed at evaluating the vital parameters of an individual ( such as measuring body temperature, measuring heart rate from the wrist, etc.).
Blood pressure measurement also becomes a screening test, both for men and women from 18 years of age, in the early detection of permanent pathological changes in blood pressure, hypertension in the first place.
When do we start talking about hypertension?
Doctors begin to talk about hypertension or high blood pressure, when the pressure of an individual in a resting condition is constantly above 140/90 mmHg.
EVERY WHAT IS EXPECTED?
Based on medical recommendations, blood pressure measurement should be a screening test to be performed every 2 years, for people aged 18 to 39, and every year, starting at age 40.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Blood pressure measurement is a very simple and painless control, which involves the use of an instrument called a sphygmomanometer .
Blood pressure measurement is rapid and the results are immediately available to the patient.
WHY DO YOU RUN?
To justify a screening test for the early detection of a problem such as hypertension is the fact that the latter concerns 22% of the global population (therefore it is widespread) and represents one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
WHAT IS AN ANOMALOUS RESULT?
If from a blood pressure check-up a pathological anomaly of blood pressure emerges, it is necessary to immediately start a therapeutic program designed to normalize the above abnormal levels.
