Screening is worthwhile when a condition is common, silent early, and treatable once found. That narrows the list considerably.
01
Every year
Blood pressure and fasting blood sugar, plus weight and waist circumference. These three catch the majority of preventable cardiovascular risk.
02
Every two years
Lipid profile, kidney function and an ECG. Add a thyroid panel if there are symptoms or a family history.
- Lipid profile after 12 hours fasting
- Creatinine with eGFR reported
- Resting ECG as a baseline
03
Sex-specific checks
Cervical screening and clinical breast examination for women; a prostate discussion for men after 50, weighing benefit against over-treatment.
04
What to skip
Whole-body scans and broad tumour-marker panels in people without symptoms produce more false alarms than early diagnoses.
Key takeaways
- Yearly: pressure, sugar, weight
- Two-yearly: lipids, kidneys, ECG
- Avoid untargeted whole-body screening
