Nowadays there is such variety of corporate health packages it is hard to know what holds real value and what is just folder rolls and frills, with no real substance.
Some health assessments do not include any physical scans at all and involve answering a series of questions which are analysed to determine your risk of serious health complications such as stroke or heart attack.
It is easy to think that the more tests included in an assessment means it is the most effective however this is not necessarily the case.
When it comes to health screening quality over quantity is most important.
Whilst it is not a bad thing to incorporate blood tests that test for heart disease, this is not considered the gold standard of testing and often only detects issues when they have developed to a serious point.
The most valuable health assessment is one that uses the most appropriate tests to detect issues that pose the most risk to your health.
Often corporate health assessments are padded out with various tests that hold little value when trying to gather the full picture of your state of health. For example, a ‘grip strength test’ does little to indicate about the major concerns such as stroke risk or heart health.
The biggest health risk of the working population
Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the most common cause of mortality in men aged 50-70 years in the UK with 300,000 individuals suffering a heart attack each year, of whom 125,000 die.
Workplace stress is all too common among the working population in the UK and, as we know, prolonged periods of chronic stress can be damaging to our health.
Chronic stress refers to prolonged periods of high levels of stress.
Whilst stress alone is not the cause of heart attacks it can contribute if it becomes a long-term problem.
With this in mind, it would make sense that a worthwhile corporate health package should include scans that focus on heart heath.
Many people who are high risk of a heart attack do not have symptoms that would indicate something is wrong – this means there is no prompt to be checked out.
Previously there was no way to monitor symptomless CHD and it would only become apparent when it was too late.
Due to modern technology, there are now scans that carry out an in-depth study of the heart and surrounding arteries.
Despite this corporate health assessments offered by other providers rarely include anything more than a cardiac stress test or chest x-ray.
What is the best form of testing for coronary heart disease?
Echelon Health healthy heart assessments include CT scanning to monitor the development of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and a special kind of CT scan called a coronary CT angiography which looks for heart-related issues.
The CAC score correlates strongly with the presence and severity of coronary atherosclerosis and allows the translation of population derived statistical risks to an individual CHD risk assessment.
A coronary CT angiogram uses a contract dye administered through a vein in the arm to highlight any blockages present in the arteries surrounding the heart.
CT is the gold standard modality to use for this purpose and can indicate a persons’ risk of developing CHD allowing action to be taken to prevent further risk.
During a recent audit conducted of healthy heart client data it was found that out of a sample of 44, 27.3% had a CAC score that indicated they had severe disease.
Of all the clients audited it was found that none would have had their heart disease detected by any other screening test.
As we know with all health issues the key to beating them is catching them early as prevention is always better than cure.
Severe disease was demonstrated in 20.4% of clients and associated with a 20-fold increased risk of future heart attack.
These clients are now receiving aggressive treatment to reduce their risk.
The healthy heart full assessment includes:
- Medical questionnaire
- Blood tests
- ECG
- CT coronary angiogram
- Final consultation
Using our vast medical experience and the best imaging technology available in the UK, we are determined to provide the most comprehensive health assessment possible.
This covers heart disease, and our Healthy Heart package aims to detect various heart diseases at their earliest stages.
It can help detect not only arrhythmia but also coronary heart disease and more.
These tests are also included in our most comprehensive assessment – The Platinum, which can detect up to 92% of preventable causes of death in men and 95% in women.
The Platinum Health Assessment tests for all major health concerns from cancer, stroke risk and coronary heart disease.
Included in the Platinum Health Assessment at Echelon Health is:
- Blood Tests
- ECG
- CT Aorta
- CT Heart
- CT Coronary Angiogram
- CT Chest
- CT Pelvis
- CT Virtual Colonoscopy
- CT Bone Density
- EOS
- CT Upright Skeleton
- MRI Brain
- MRI Cerebral Artery Angiogram
- MRI Carotid Artery Angiogram
- MRI Prostate
- Ultrasound Thyroid
- Ultrasound Testes/Ovaries
- Digital Mammogram
- Full Body Mole Screen
- Final consultation
Innovative technology and a highly experienced team of medical professionals has allowed Echelon to become a front runner in the world of preventative healthcare. With several CEO testimonials available on our website, it is easy to see why employers are choosing an Echelon Health assessment for their staff.
If you would like to hear more about the corporate packages available through Echelon Health, please don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Sources:
Effects Of Stress on The Heart | Echelon Health
Can Stress Cause a Heart Attack? What the Research Shows (healthline.com)
8 Common Examinations to Detect Heart Disease (Echelon Health)
Tests for diagnosing heart conditions – Heart tests | NHS inform
Tests for heart conditions – BHF
Coronary heart disease – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Health matters: preventing cardiovascular disease – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Why Is Corporate Wellbeing So Important? | Echelon Health
Health Screenings & the Future of Healthcare | Echelon Health
