Your Guide to Health Screenings

What, When and Why

-- By Liza Barnes, Health Educator

You know the filter in your furnace only lasts three months before it gets clogged with cat hair, and you're diligent about getting the oil in your car changed every 3,000 miles. But do you pay attention to all the recommended tune-ups and maintenance on your most important machine—your body?

Regular checkups are keys to early detection and successful treatment of health conditions. But remembering when to get checked for what is difficult. Here's a list of basic and essential health condition screenings that you'll want to schedule with your health care providers, along with a basic explanation of why you need them.

What	Who	When	Why
Eye Exam	Everyone	*About once every 2 years	A trained health care provider examines your eyes for health and to determine if you need glasses or contacts.  *The American Optometric Association recommends an eye exam once every 2 years until the age of 18, once every 2-3 years between the ages of 19-40, once every 1-2 years between the ages of 41-60, and then every year after that.
Dental Exam	Everyone 2 and older	Once every 6-12 months	Your dentist will examine the teeth to detect tooth decay, gum disease, oral cancer, and problems with your bite.
Blood Pressure Screening	Everyone 18 and older	Once every 2 years	This test, which measures the pressure involved when your heart beats, is important for the detection of high blood pressure, which increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney damage.
Pelvic Exam and Pap Test	Women 18 and older (earlier if sexually active)	Once a year	Pelvic exams and pap tests can detect cancerous and pre-cancerous changes in the cervix. When caught early, the treatment success rate is very high. Based on many "normal" results, your health care provider may choose to screen you less often.
Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening	Everyone who is sexually active	Immediately if you have symptoms or annually if you have changed partners	Many STIs do not have symptoms, but can lead to permanent complications if left untreated. If you are at high risk for STIs, you should get tested more frequently. For women, these tests are often performed during your annual gynecologic exam, but not automatically, so don't forget to ask.
Cholesterol Screening	Everyone 20 and older	Once every five years	This blood test measures levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.  Based on your health history, your health care provider may recommend more or less frequent screenings.
Breast Self-Exam	Women 20 and older	Once a month	Performing a self-breast exam raises awareness of any changes or unusual breast symptoms.  Your health care provider can instruct you on how to perform this exam effectively.
Clinical Breast Exam	Women 20 and older	Once every three years until age 40; once a year after 40	This manual breast exam, performed by a trained health care professional, is highly effective at detecting lumps and symptoms of breast cancer that a self-exam might miss.
Mammogram	Women 40 and older	Once every 1-2 years	This (and other) imaging techniques can detect potentially cancerous lumps in the breast tissue earlier than a physical examination can detect them.
Diabetes Screening	Everyone 45 and older (earlier if risk is high*)	Once every 3 years	This test measure levels of blood glucose after fasting to check for diabetes. *People at high risk (those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglycerides, obesity or a family history of diabetes) should get screened more frequently.
Colon and Rectal Cancer Screenings	Everyone 50 and older (earlier if risk is high*)	Once a year	Talk to your doctor to determine the best type of screening and testing schedule for you. *You're at a high risk if you have personal or family history of colon and rectal cancers, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease.
Prostate cancer screening	Men 50 and older (age 40 if risk is high)	Once a year	With a prostate exam and prostate-specific antigen test, your health care provider can detect prostate enlargement or high levels of prostate-specific antigen, which may indicate prostate cancer.
Bone Density Test	Women 65 and older (age 40 if risk is high*)	Once a year	This scan measures density of the bones and can detect low bone density (osteopenia) or loss of bone mass (osteoporosis).  *You are at increased risk if you have had prior fractures, have a family history of osteoporosis, or have taken prednisone.

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