It's already December! It's time for New Year's vows and wishes. Another year is behind us, along with its good and bad moments. And we all stand on the threshold of the new with hope and many old and new promises.
One of those things is inevitably, taking more care of ourselves and insisting that our loved ones do the same.
Yes... And not only for our material prosperity, for our good looks, not only for our emotional state, but also for our health.
We promise it to ourselves every year, we put it in the pie, we rejoice when we get it - because HEALTH is the most precious thing we have. But the question is, how many of us keep it.
Do we take enough care of ourselves?
Preventive medical examinations - a choice, an obligation or just a necessity?
Every year, insured persons in Bulgaria are entitled to free preventive check-ups. "Isn't that why we pay insurance?"
To be honest with you - maybe that's one of the reasons and we're asking you - "Are you getting the benefit of what you're paying for? Are you demanding the little that you are entitled to, that you have been allowed to demand?"
At first glance, this is something so harmless and elementary, BUT preventive examinations sometimes just save lives.
It is extremely important that as we care for the homes in which we live, we also take care not to neglect the homes of our souls.
Did you know that 2/3 of the insured persons in our country have not had their compulsory health check-ups for the year? My guess is because they are MANDATORY. We Bulgarians don't like mandatory stuff at all.
I am far from thinking that things are like this out of deep concern for the Bulgarian citizen.
As you are well aware, in order to encourage prevention, the Health Minister has asked that patients who do not go for regular check-ups be financially penalised. I leave it up to you to decide whether the laws and rules have been properly hammered out - each of us has a civic stance, but we should have the same opinion on whether and how often to have a check-up.
And preventive check-ups work differently depending on how old we are and whether we are exposed to risk factors.
If we were to describe why medical checkups are important and what tests we should have annually according to gender, age and work environment, it would be:
- In the first place, preventive health care is necessary because it can detect and diagnose various disabilities and diseases. I do not need to prove to anyone the usefulness of early diagnosis.
- Second - it is important to avoid unwanted complications and chronic diseases.
- Third, but not least, it can save your life.
Each of us finds our motivation in a different place. Please, look for it too.
Preventive checkups that we should have at different age stages are grouped within our known life stages. Let's visualize:
- Children and young people up to the age of 18 receive the most preventive examinations. Globally and domestically, health policy and the family unit are re-prioritizing child health prevention. Somehow, however, we forget about ourselves in the following years, when parents no longer take us for regular check-ups, but we have to do it ourselves. The statistics for Bulgaria mentioned just above are largely due to the fact that, despite the percentage re-prioritisation of preventive check-ups for children, the family somehow fails to sow the seed of the need for preventive check-ups in the adolescent generation.
- In young people aged 18 to 30 years, blood pressure, eye disability and mental status examinations should be emphasized. They are most commonly examined for urine output and blood counts for blood sugar. This is important to diagnose and monitor diabetes mellitus, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.
- For people between 30 and 45 years of age, emphasis is placed on complete blood count examinations, for women an annual manual and ultrasound examination of the mammary glands (every month it is advisable for a woman to self-examine herself by palpatory examination after the end of another regular menstruation) and once every 6 months a pap smear and microbiology to monitor the female reproductive system. In men, cholesterol and triglycerides are monitored. It is very important that after 40 both men and women have preventive blood testing for tumor markers.
- In the 46 to 65 age group, in addition to a complete blood count, cholesterol and triglyceride tests, men should have a PSA test (prostate cancer test) and women should have a mammogram (breast cancer test). You should also pay attention to the cardiovascular system, arterial hypertension, diabetes and cancer.
- People over 65 should have a complete blood count annually, as well as cholesterol and triglyceride testing.
According to the occupational characteristics and characteristics of the patient, many strictly specific examinations are carried out, because different occupations are at risk from different risk factors.
So when you visit your doctor for a check-up, it's important to ask yourself what health risks your profession poses, as well as what are the things you should be looking out for?
It is good to be aware that all the tests we undergo as part of our free preventive check-up are covered by the National Health Insurance Fund. Unfortunately, however, the annual free preventive check-ups in Bulgaria, which I described a little above, often do not cover all the necessary tests. Many of us have them once every 2, 3 or 5 years, which is far from enough. To be honest, maybe this is one of the main reasons why we Bulgarians skip these checkups - we consider them incomplete and infinitely insufficient in their range to consider them something important and life-saving.
Preventive examinations abroad
Unlike the free preventive check-ups provided by the state health system, this is not the case abroad. Many other countries understand the preventive examination in a radically different way. For them, it's not important to just run up the numbers by sending you for limited blood and urine tests. For them, prevention is one of the most important things they emphasize. It is for this reason that hospitals abroad have elaborate packages for preventive check-ups tailored to gender, age, occupation, genetic burden and many other parameters. Yes, of course, for us as foreign patients, these examinations are not free, but they are extremely comprehensive. Often they are carried out within a day - two, even three, and not in 15 minutes. Multiple examinations are ordered, covering not only the detection of the usual suspects, but also monitoring the proper functioning of all organs, their current state.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends general and gynaecological screening once a year for women who want to preserve their intimate health and/or have a family history of cancer
How does this help you to examine your overall health if you are a woman?
Examinations in women show hidden infections and pathologies that develop for a long time without symptoms:
- thyroid disease;
- heart and lung disease;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- cervical and ovarian cancer;
- breast cancer.
95% of stage 1 breast cancer patients are cured of the disease. In stage 1 cervical cancer, this figure is 80%, as opposed to 58% in stage 2.
A standard female examination should basically contain:
- ultrasound diagnostics - ultrasound of the mammary glands and pelvic organs, thyroid, transvaginal ultrasound
- electrocardiography (ECG) - to assess the condition of the heart
- cholesterol tests - to detect cardiovascular disease
- blood sugar - to identify the risk of developing diabetes
- liver diagnosis - to detect cirrhosis or hepatitis
- renal diagnosis - to detect kidney failure
- gynecological examination and PAP test - to detect infections and pathologies of the cervix and uterine body, ovaries
- consultation with a gynaecologist - gynaecological examination and examination of the mammary glands
- consultation with a general practitioner who analyses the results of the test and identifies the health risks
In clinics abroad, the standard female screening programme can be supplemented with other analyses and consultations. The duration of the female examination in foreign clinics is 1-3 days. According to the results of the examination, the doctor issues a medical certificate, recommendations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle or an appointment for an additional examination.
For men, things are not much different.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that men over the age of 30 have a preventive examination once a year.
Prophylactic examinations and examinations in men can detect:
- prostate disease;
- hormonal disorders;
- thyroid disease;
- heart and lung disease;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- oncological diseases.
The standard examination for men includes:
- ultrasound diagnostics - ultrasound of the prostate and thyroid gland, and pelvic organs
- electrocardiography (ECG) - to diagnose cardiovascular diseases
- cholesterol tests - to detect cardiovascular disease
- testosterone blood test - to detect erectile dysfunction, the risk of impotence and infertility
- blood sugar - to identify the risk of developing diabetes
- liver diagnosis - to detect cirrhosis or hepatitis
- renal diagnosis - to detect kidney failure
- consultation with a general practitioner - who analyses the test results and identifies health risks
In clinics abroad, the standard male screening program can be supplemented with other analyses and consultations. And here the duration of the male examination in foreign clinics is 1-2 days. According to the results of the examination, the doctor issues recommendations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle or an appointment for an additional examination.
Yet it is incorrect to consider a preventive examination as a process of going through a series of tests only. It is a conscientious approach to ensuring a healthy lifestyle. Each one of us is subject to a wide range of risks created by our general behaviour, our genetic heritage or our past illnesses. To be able to recognise them, take appropriate preventive measures and enjoy good general health, we need to have regular check-ups.
After all this, I can boldly say that preventive examinations are not only a personal choice, but also a vital necessity.
We, at Medical Carragee, can be of help to anyone who wants to achieve better health and balance. We are aware that the Bulgarian reality does not provoke to deep reflection on the topic of preventive examinations here or preventive examinations abroad. Everything is in your hands. Remember your promises - let us be more responsible to ourselves this year. Let us take care of our health. No doubt it would only be to our advantage.
We, Medical Karaj are at your service.
Call us on the following numbers "Medical Karaj": 0879 977 401 or 0879 977 402.
