Regular health check - why is it important

Friday night movie and popcorn Rs.1000. Dinner with a friend Rs.2000. Annual Health checkup - priceless! Really? While that sounds like a good sales line, not many seem to really believe so. Why? Because the feeling of being invincible is in our grain and is what drives us, humans. But the invincible superhero in us gets his downtime every time we hear about how someone we know got diagnosed with something shocking and we suddenly think ‘It could have been me'. But we move on... till shit happens which involves us!

5-year cancer survival rate can help understand the importance of early diagnosis. The 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who live at least 5 years after being diagnosed with cancer. For example, a 5-year survival rate of 90% means that an estimated 90 out of 100 people who have that cancer are still alive 5 years after being diagnosed. But a massive study of 37 million cancer patients over 15 years (2000-2014) across 17 countries has shown that survival rates in the 18 most prevalent types of cancers vary hugely across countries with India struggling to inch up at the bottom.  For example, 5-year survival for breast cancer is now 89% in Australia and 90% in the USA, but India scores a meagre 66%.

India continues to remain the largest contributor to cancer deaths at 2.2 million per year out of the global 8.8 million and the main reason owing to 70% of patients getting diagnosed in terminal stages of the disease.

How do we change this?

By early detection and quick intervention. A routine annual health check contains a set of standard tests covering pretty much the whole body at an overall level to be able to detect any abnormalities.  Problem is not limited to cancer and is equally applicable to Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, etc. A simple blood test costing Rs 100 can detect 80% of diabetes cases. And it is possible to turn around especially if it is pre-diabetes (a condition which is an early indicator of the onset of diabetes later in life if corrective measures are not taken). It is possible to reverse/reduce the progression of cardiovascular disease also by attending to risk factors.

So, don't rely on feeling fine alone to take control of your health. Because sometimes when you start feeling not fine, it may be a bit too late.

References: The Lancet, Business Standard, WebMD