The importance of getting tested regularly has been stressed by doctors time and again. However, in this day and age, when information is readily available, and it is too easy to get scared of diseases, people often end up booking several tests.
However, he stressed that over-testing in asymptomatic people often leads to unnecessary anxiety, incidental findings, and medical procedures you didn’t need in the first place. Lastly, he added that it is important to choose evidence-based screening rather than a comprehensive health-check package. Moreover, it is preferable to consult a doctor before going for annual health check-ups rather than after getting the reports. Dr Sudhir Kumar is a veteran neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition. This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
With over 26 years of experience and qualifications including MBBS, MD (internal medicine), and DM (neurology), he treats a wide range of conditions such as dementia, ALS, cerebral palsy, back pain, Canavan disease, and more.
Here’s what evidence-based preventive care actually looks like for healthy adults, according to Dr Sudhir: According to the neurologist, many packages bundle ECG, 2D echo, treadmill test, abdominal ultrasound, chest X-ray, full vitamin panels, and dozens of blood tests, every single year. Therefore, for most healthy, asymptomatic adults, the essential core markers are straightforward: The neurologist also listed the advanced cardiac risk markers worth knowing, including: The neurologist also mapped what should not automatically be a part of an ‘annual test’ for every healthy person: “Unless you have symptoms or specific risk factors, routine screening here is not evidence-based,” Dr Sudhir stressed.
