Screening · 5 min read
The annual health check: what it should actually include
Which tests earn their place in a yearly screen, by age and risk — and why the follow-up matters more than the tests.
By the TarragonHealth editorial team
Why screen at all when you feel fine
The conditions that shorten most adult lives — hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, some cancers — are silent for years and cheap to manage when caught early. A yearly check exists to catch them in the silent phase, when your options are widest.
The core, for most adults
Blood pressure. Blood sugar (fasting glucose or HbA1c). A lipid panel (cholesterol). Weight and waist. Urinalysis (an early kidney and diabetes window). These five cover the biggest, most treatable risks and cost little.
Added by age and history
From the 40s onward: an ECG and a fuller cardiovascular risk review. For women: cervical screening from the mid-20s and breast checks from 40. For men from 45: a prostate conversation with a doctor — informed, not automatic. Family history of any of these moves the start dates earlier.
The part most checkups get wrong
A stack of results with no follow-up is theatre. The value is in what happens next: someone explains each result, an abnormal finding triggers an actual plan, and next year's numbers get compared to this year's. When you book any screening, the question to ask is not 'which tests?' but 'who follows up?'
This article is general health information, not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Always talk to a doctor about your own situation — and if you feel seriously unwell, go to a hospital now.