Hinsdale –
Back-to-school and sports physicals are an annual ritual for many families this
time of the year. But while the focus is on students, preventive exams are just
as important for adults, said Dr. Erin Netteland, a family medicine specialist
who treats patients at Adventist
Hinsdale Hospital’s
Hinsdale Family Medicine Center. Yet only 21 percent of the adult population
undergoes preventive health examinations every year, according to a 2007 study
by the American Medical Association.
“An annual examination or checkup by a physician is
recommended for all adults to check blood pressure and weight – specifically
body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight – and to make
sure your vaccinations are up to date,” Netteland said. “Prevention is one of
the best things we can do to stay healthy.”
High blood pressure is a risk factor for many
diseases, including diabetes, stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney
failure. It’s often referred to as a silent killer because the only way to
determine if you have high blood pressure is to check it regularly, Netteland
said. Obesity, meanwhile, increases the risk of developing cardiovascular
disease, certain cancers, osteoarthritis, and diabetes among other diseases.
“Catching diabetes in its early stages can prevent
a patient from getting eye disease or neurological disease,” Netteland said.
Other medical tests should be conducted on a
regular schedule over the course of a lifetime. Cholesterol checks are
recommended every five years starting around age 20. The Hemoccult fecal occult
blood test, which can detect hidden blood in stool specimens as an early
indication of colorectal cancer, are recommended annually starting around age
40. A colonoscopy is recommended every 10 years starting at age 50. Patients also
should undergo periodic vision and hearing tests with increasing frequency as
they age.
Women should schedule annual pelvic exams and pap
smears beginning in their teens or 20s; by the time they turn 40, they should
have annual mammograms and bone scans. Men, meanwhile, should begin annual
testicle exams in their 20s and annual prostate exams starting at age 40.
The annual physical also gives doctors an
opportunity to counsel their patients on such health issues as stopping
smoking, eating a healthy diet and drinking moderately, using seat belts and
having working smoke alarms in their homes.
Even if you haven’t been to the doctor in years,
it’s never too late to start scheduling an annual physical. That first visit
can go a long way in establishing a relationship between a patient and a
doctor, which means that the patient will know whom to call when they do get
sick, Netteland said. It also can empower patients.
“Both men and women should be invested in their
health care, not only for long-term prevention of disease but also so they can
stay healthy for themselves and their loved ones,” she said.