What is a check-up, who is it for and how often?
A check-up is a planned health screening carried out while you have no complaints. Its purpose is not to treat illness but to catch it before it shows itself: high blood pressure, raised blood sugar, cholesterol and thyroid disorders mostly run silently for years.
What does a check-up usually cover?
- A detailed medical examination and review of your history
- Full blood count, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol panel
- Liver and kidney function tests
- Thyroid function tests
- Full urinalysis
- ECG and imaging where indicated
The scope is not the same for everyone. Your doctor will shorten or extend the list according to your age, sex, family history and any chronic condition you have.
Who is it recommended for?
For adults without complaints, the general approach is a basic check at regular intervals from your twenties onwards. Those with a family history of early heart disease, diabetes or thyroid disease, smokers, and people with weight problems may need shorter intervals.
How often?
For healthy adults, a general check once a year is enough in most cases. If you are under follow-up for blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol, your doctor sets the frequency; that follow-up does not replace a check-up, it runs alongside it.
How should you prepare?
Most blood tests require 8–12 hours of fasting. You may drink water. Bring a list of the medicines you take and any recent test results so that your doctor can compare.
This article is for general information and does not replace a medical examination. For a screening plan suited to you, you can book an appointment with the Internal Medicine department.
