What is wellness screening?
Wellness screening is important to everyone. It involves the use of tests, physical examinations or other procedures to detect disease early in people who look or feel well.
Why should I go for wellness screening?
Wellness screenings helps you find out if you have a particular disease or condition even if you feel perfectly well, without any symptoms and/or signs of disease. Early detection, followed by treatment and good control of the condition can result in better outcomes, and lowers the risk of serious complications. It is therefore important to get yourself screened even if you feel perfectly healthy.
What kind of screening tests should I go for?
There are 3 types of screening tests.
Type 1: Beneficial for everyone: These tests are listed in Table A.
Type 2: Beneficial for some but not others: Decision to be made on an 'individual' level, based on your individual risk factors e.g. self or family history of hereditary or chronic diseases, exposure to factors that can lead to disease e.g. smoking.
Type 3: Not recommended for screening: Currently, there is not enough information to support the use of these tests.
It is best to speak to your family doctor who will advise you to go for the relevant screening tests based on your individual health profile.
Table A - General Screening Tests (Beneficial for everyone)
General Screening Tests for Adults
Recommended for | To screen for | Screening test | Screening frequency |
Individuals aged 18 yrs and above | Obesity | Body Mass Index (BMI) | Once a year |
Waist circumference | |||
Individuals aged 18 yrs and above | Hypertension (High blood pressure) | Blood pressure measurement | Once every two years or more frequently as advised by your doctor. |
Individuals aged 40 yrs and above | Diabetes mellitus | Fasting blood glucose | Once every three years or more frequently as advised by your doctor |
Hyperlipidaemia (High blood cholesterol) | Fasting lipids | ||
Individuals aged 50 yrs and above | Colorectal cancer | Faecal immunochemical test (to test for blood in stools) | Once a year |
Colonoscopy | Once every ten years | ||
Additional Tests for Women | |||
Women aged 25-69 yrs, who have had sexual intercourse | Cervical cancer | Pap smear | Once every three years |
Women aged 50-69 yrs | Breast cancer | Mammogram | Once every two years. |
General Screening Tests for Newborns
Recommended for | To screen for | Screening test | Screening frequency |
Newborns aged 0-4 weeks old | Hearing loss | Audiometry | Once |
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency | Screen with umbilical cord blood | Once | |
Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) | Metabolic screen with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (TMS) | Once | |
Primary hypothyroidism | Thyroid Function Test (TFT) | Once |
What should I do after wellness screening?
If your screening results are normal, you should continue to go for regular screening at the recommended frequency because screening only detects health conditions that are present at the time of screening. If you develop signs or symptoms after your screening, please see your doctor - do not wait for your next screening appointment.
If your screening results are abnormal, you should follow-up with your doctor immediately even if you feel perfectly well. Early treatment and good control of disease can result in better outcomes and prevent or delay serious complications.
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