Preventing diseases before they occur or diagnosing them at an early stage with preventive screening and treatments is very important in terms of increasing the quality and duration of life. Many diseases reveal themselves as a result of blood tests, imaging techniques and other medical analysis methods performed during routine health checks. For this reason, health screening called Check-Up is applied by health institutions in order to detect the presence or onset of any disease at an early stage. Regular Check-Up is of great importance for children’s health as well as adults. Thanks to the health screenings to be performed at an early age, it can be easily determined whether children have any diseases that will adversely affect their growth and development.

What is Check-Up?
Check-up is a periodic health screening that can be performed to evaluate the current health status of healthy individuals and to investigate possible disease risks, to determine the condition and course of the disease in sick individuals and to check the body in general. In Check-Up applications, the body is completely checked in general terms and it is aimed to detect hidden diseases that have not yet given visible or noticeable symptoms. For this reason, every individual who pays due attention to himself and his health should have a regular Check-Up. This application is especially important for the early detection of insidious diseases such as cancer, which progress insidiously and do not give symptoms until the last stages.

What does Check-Up include?
Although the screening and tests performed in Check-Up applications vary depending on the health institution where the application is performed, they are close to each other. These tests generally consist of blood, urine and faecal tests and some imaging methods. The tests commonly applied in Check-Up applications are as follows:

Doctor’s examination
Complete blood count
Blood sugar test
Liver and kidney function tests
Blood lipid and cholesterol tests
Hormone tests
Vitamin and mineral tests
Urinalysis
Effort test
ECG (Electrocardiogram)
Ultrasonography
X-ray
In addition to the basic Check-Up tests, it is possible to have more detailed cancer screening, endoscopy, allergy tests and more detailed examinations for people with a family history of chronic diseases.

Who should have Check-Up and how often?
Check-Up is a health screening that can be applied at any age from childhood to old age. How often Check-Up should be performed varies according to age and health status. It is recommended that all healthy individuals undergo Check-Up once a year in order to keep their health status under control, to identify possible disease risks and existing diseases. In individuals over 40 years of age, Check-Up should be performed at least every 6 months as the risk of disease increases. In individuals over 40 years of age, in addition to routine tests, eye examinations, cardiovascular health examinations and more advanced cancer screenings are recommended. For people with a family history of cancer, pulmonary function tests and lung imaging, breast cancer and cervical cancer tests in women, and prostate cancer tests in men should be performed.

What should be considered before having a Check-Up?
Individuals who will have a Check-Up application should apply to the health institution in the morning on an empty stomach unless otherwise recommended by the doctor. Pregnant women and those who are suspected of pregnancy should definitely inform their doctor about their condition before the procedures. In order to obtain accurate results from the examinations, alcohol consumption should not be consumed in the past 24 hours. If your Check-Up programme includes an effort test, you should bring sports shoes and sportswear with you. When coming to the application, it is recommended that you bring a file containing your previous blood tests, surgery reports, if any, and all your health information.

If you care about your health and want to have regular check-ups, you can apply to a health institution and have a Check-Up. After the health screening, you can protect your health by repeating the Check-Up application as often as your doctor recommends, ensuring early diagnosis of a possible disease condition.

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