Preventative care

“PREVENTION is better than cure” is a well known saying that should remind us of the need to undergo regular medical check-ups, screenings and tests in order to ward off illness. In most instances the patient is better off when an illness is caught early, as there might be preventative measures to curb the effects.

Dr Samantha Nicholson says that age 30 to 35 is when individuals should start doing annual check-ups. However, she stressed that if you know of a family history of certain conditions, you should inform your physician so that screening can be done earlier. Additionally, she mentioned that vaccination can help prevent some of these diseases. Dr Nicholson pointed out that one very important vaccine is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer.

“Ideally you want to vaccinate persons before they become exposed to it, which is before they have sex, from the age of 10 or 12 years old. In our setting, because there’s not that much awareness of the vaccine and it’s actually costly, a lot of women aren’t really vaccinating [their] children. Also, it’s not a part of the ministry of health’s standard schedule. I think as time goes on, it will eventually become a part of it because cervical cancer is a huge burden on the health care sector.”

Other regular check-ups that must be done include:

Diabetes test

If you have a family history of diabetes, then you should get an A1C test done to see if you are diabetic. Diabetics should do this test every three months or twice a year to see how well their sugar is controlled, and to know whether or not they have a high risk of getting kidney disease or eye disease. Diabetics should do foot exams and eye checks annually. The annual foot exam is done to find out if fungus is on the nail or skin itself. “Sometimes the skin has a dry, scaly appearance and we just think it’s dry skin, but it’s really athlete’s foot which is a fungus, and that exposes them (diabetics) to a bacterial infection in the toe.” The foot exam also checks whether the patient is losing sensation as a result of diabetic nerve disease in the foot.

When you do the eye exam, the ophthalmologist or optician will look in the back of the eye for diabetic changes. This is necessary because diabetes can cause blindness without any warning. Diabetes is the second leading cause of blindness in this country.

High blood pressure test

High blood pressure can cause strokes and must be closely monitored.

High cholesterol test

People with high cholesterol levels are at a higher risk for heart disease. A cholesterol test should be done every four to six years.

Pap smear

The Pap smear should be done every year. If the Pap smear is abnormal, then the woman will be tested for HPV to see if she has cervical cancer.

Mammograms

Mammograms need to be done annually once a woman reaches 40, to screen for breast cancer.

Colonoscopy

Colon cancer screening begins at age 50 for both sexes for the average person. “With colon cancer, if you have a family history they’ll start earlier. So if your brother had colon cancer at age 45, then they’ll start screening you at age 35 rather than wait until you’re 50,” Dr Nicholson stated. She said if patients cannot afford a colonoscopy, then a barium enema will be done. The barium enema should be done every five years, whereas the colonoscopy should be done every 10 years. As with other illnesses, if the results are abnormal, then patients will have to do it more frequently.

HIV test

Everyone should do an HIV test annually once they become sexually active.

Prostate cancer test

Men should get screened for prostate cancer starting at age 40. Most men tend to avoid this test to check for an enlarged prostate. However, Dr Nicholson explained that it is a quick and painless process.

Cancer screenings

According to Dr Nicholson, the top three cancers in women are breast, colon and cervical. For men it is prostate, lung and colon. Due to the common occurrence of these cancers, people should make a concerted effort to undergo these tests, especially if there is a family history of any of these illnesses.