Private Health Assessments for people over 40 years old

Posted in , , , by Miss Kornelija Dedelaite

While Benjamin Franklin was referring to fire prevention when he remarked, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” it also applies to your health today. Health evaluations are essential for maintaining overall health at any age but become even more important as we start to grow older.

In fact, you may have observed that your regular physical health evaluations now involve discussions about more tests compared to what they did ten or twenty years ago. Unfortunately, the risk of contracting several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and different types of cancer, rises with age and so more factors must be taken into consideration to keep you at optimum health.

The good news is that if you maintain good health, you can still have many happy years with those you love as you start your journey into your 40s, 50s and beyond.

You should concentrate on a select few ailments and disorders in order to maximise your benefits and maintain the best possible state of health. These could comprise examinations for:

Cancer:

10,449 persons were given pancreatic cancer diagnoses in 2018. Although it may not be the most prevalent cancer, it is the 5th deadliest disease, accounting for about 9,000 fatalities annually (Pancreatic Cancer UK, 2021). Additionally, it has the lowest five-year survival rate, at only 5-7%, according to some research. Pancreatic cancer affects 90% of those older than 55, and 70% of those older than 65 (Cancer.net, 2020).

Fortunately, 37% of pancreatic cancer occurrences in the UK could be avoided with the help of preventive measures including better lifestyle adjustments and early health assessments.

In the UK, there were reportedly 42,300 new instances of colon cancer (also known as bowel cancer) between 2015 and 2017. In the UK, it is the 4th most prevalent cancer, and males are more likely to develop it. Age-specific incidence rates start to grow quite sharply at the age of 50 to 55 and then continue to rise steadily after that (Cancer Research UK, 2021a).

54% of colon cancer cases can be avoided if it is discovered in its earliest stages.

The most frequent malignancy among women is breast cancer. Every year, there are about 55,200 new instances of breast cancer. Compared to women who are older (40-65+), those aged 15 to 39 have a lower chance (47%) of receiving an early breast cancer diagnosis (Cancer Research UK, 2021b).

This is probably because, unless they are thought to be more at risk, the majority of preventive breast cancer screenings do not start until women are 40 years old (Cancer.net, 2021).

23% of cases of breast cancer may be avoidable, according to Cancer Research UK.

Cancer of the prostate is the most prevalent type of cancer among men in the UK. Prostate cancer affects mostly men over the age of 50 and affects more than 47,500 men annually (Prostate Cancer UK, 2021).

Despite numerous research, no modifiable factors have, unfortunately, been associated with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Fortunately, the survival rate is fairly good, with 86.6% of men with prostate cancer living for five years or more after their diagnosis.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease:

Males aged 50 to 64 died most frequently from Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) between 2001 and 2018 (ONS, 2020). In the UK, there are more than 1.2 million stroke survivors (Nice.org, 2019). Moreover, a third (38%) of first-time strokes occur in people between the ages of 40 and 69, according to Public Health England (Gov.uk, 2018).

There are many things you can do to lower your risk of stroke in addition to getting regular health tests starting at age 50, such as eating healthier, getting more exercise, quitting smoking, and drinking less alcohol.

In the UK, there are 1.4 million heart attack survivors, which is very close to stroke survivors (BHF, 2021). Heart attacks account for more than 100,000 hospital admissions annually. Men are more likely than women to suffer a heart attack, although 7 out of 10 people survive with the correct care.

People who are older are more susceptible to many vascular disorders. These include carotid artery disease, atherosclerosis, and abdominal aortic aneurysms. All of these have an impact on your body’s blood vessels. For instance, atherosclerosis, a condition that restricts blood flow to the heart, is brought on by the accumulation of plaque on the inner lining of arteries.

Plaque accumulation has the ability to cause blood clots, block circulation, and even result in stroke. The number of individuals dying from cardiovascular disease in the UK has decreased between 2000 and 2019 thanks to greater screening and lifestyle improvements.

Blood tests:

Blood disorders alone are not a major cause of mortality, but any abnormalities with your blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol may raise your risk of contracting conditions like type 2 diabetes or cause a stroke or heart attack.

Over the next ten years, the NHS Long Term Plan aims to avert 150,000 cases of dementia, heart attacks, and strokes. Since atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are the most frequent risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, and numerous occurrences of dementia, they will concentrate on these conditions.

Why are health assessments worth it?

Selecting a health exam can be difficult. We have created some brief advice in our previous blogs on what to watch out for because there are so many factors to take into account when it comes to your health.

You should always inquire with your doctor about the advantages and disadvantages of any test. Preventive health screenings can help you and give you peace of mind about your health. If you have a family history of any illnesses, you may benefit from health exams early.

General Health Assessments:

The majority of health evaluations take 30 minutes or less. It entails providing basic information about your lifestyle and family history, as well as getting a blood test done and measuring your height, weight, and blood pressure.

The outcome of the blood test could reveal the likelihood of developing cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. Additionally, you will be informed of dementia symptoms if you are above 65.

To inform you of probable health difficulties in the future, this generic check mainly depends on statistical data. The recommendations for improving health are simple and typically entail dietary or lifestyle modifications like:

  • Not smoking
  • Eating a balanced diet
  • Regular exercise
  • Keep a healthy weight
  • Reducing stress and caring for your mental health

The drawback of this kind of health check is that while it may be able to spot potential moderate health issues, it cannot see precisely what is going on deeper inside the body to identify any sickness or cancer that might be present in your organs or other nearby tissue.

Private Health Assessments at Echelon Health:

As you get older, examinations that focus on your physical health and are not reliant on statistical analysis should be given precedence. A complete body health assessment would be very helpful. For those who seek peace of mind knowing they are in top shape, Echelon Health offers world-leading health assessments.

You might still be wondering whether a health assessment is worthwhile. Well, at Echelon Health, we provide a number of advantages. First off, we do a very in-depth health assessment. It emphasises the needs of the individual and does not take into account statistical models for the diagnoses. In order to evaluate whether you might be at risk for any diseases or illnesses, we look at the scan and test findings, because only by understanding the circumstances of your health, can the correct diagnoses be made.

Therefore, we use the appropriate test and medical imaging technologies for the appropriate modality to detect any anomalies. State-of-the-art MRI, CT, and ultrasound scanners are available at Echelon Health. In order to ensure that the best findings are gathered, each body component is examined using the appropriate equipment.

All scans and photos are of the highest quality as a result of this. To ensure that nothing is missed, your results may be examined by up to seven individuals who are authorities in their respective fields.

With our Platinum Health Assessment, we can identify 92% of disorders that may cause early death in men, and 94% in women, where medically appropriate. Preventive health evaluations are supported by science; we can identify underlying health issues and take immediate corrective action.

Simply put, we at Echelon Health strive to protect your most valuable asset, ensure a long, healthy life, and allow you to spend more time with your friends and family.

Download our brochure if you’re interested in learning more about the different health examinations we provide. And if you are already certain that a health assessment is the best course of action for you, get in touch with our staff, and we will assist you as much as we can.

 

 

 

Sources:

Pancreatic Cancer UK (2021). Pancreatic cancer statistics. Available at: https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/what-we-do/media-centre/pancreatic-cancer-statistics/ (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Cancer.net (2020). Pancreatic Cancer: Risk Factors. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors#:~:text=The%20risk%20of%20developing%20pancreatic,be%20diagnosed%20with%20pancreatic%20cancer (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Cancer Research UK (2021). Pancreatic cancer statistics. Available at:  https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/pancreatic-cancer#heading-Zero (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Cancer Research UK (2021)a. Bowel cancer statistics. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/bowel-cancer#heading-Zero (Accessed 20/10/21).

Cancer Research UK (2021)b. Breast cancer statistics. Available at:  https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer#heading-Zero (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Cancer.net (2021). Breast Cancer: Statistics. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/statistics (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Prostate Cancer UK (2021). About prostate cancer. Available at: https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/about-prostate-cancer (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Nice.org (2019). NICEimpact stroke. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/media/default/about/what-we-do/into-practice/measuring-uptake/nice-impact-stroke.pdf (Accessed 20/10/2021).

Gov.uk (2018). New figures show larger proportion of strokes in the middle aged. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-figures-show-larger-proportion-of-strokes-in-the-middle-aged (Accessed 20/10/2021).

ONS (2020). Leading causes of death, UK: 2001 to 2018. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018#uk-leading-causes-of-death-by-age-group (Accessed 20/10/2021).

BHF (2021). Facts and figures. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/contact-the-press-office/facts-and-figures (Accessed 20/10/2021).