Tests

[Yasyass]

I think that if it was possible people should have a check every five years for the heart that way people would have an idea how to improve lifestyle and also detect if any problems with the heart From an early age

[Sunnie2day]

I lived and worked my entire career in the USA. My employer provided health insurance included a mandatory annual 'check-up' rather like our UK MOT for our motors. Mine was always a little more involved as I had a 'pre-existing' of Rheumatic Heart Syndrome but everyone's included bloods, urine, chest x-ray, and some other lab tests (smears for the women, prostate checks for the men) and head-to-toe exams looking for things like moles. The annual actually saved all parties a considerable sum of money as it caught things before the condition worsened - I had colleagues whose diabetes, cancers and heart conditions, for example, were caught early enough to be successfully treated.

When I retired home to the UK I registered with the nearest GP surgery and was quite surprised when despite my hand-carried charts clearly noting my heart conditions I was informed there was no need to book an annual and I should only ask for an appointment if 'something came up'.

The NHS is so stretched just now I can't help thinking routine annual checks would be a huge money saver. I know up here in Scotland the bowel screening (home test sent off with results returned to GP and patient via post) has been a great success catching cancer early and leading to money saving for NHS Scotland. It's not all about money of course, more than anything it's about saving and improving 'quality of life' - and an annual does that rather nicely.

[Qualipop]

In an ideal world where money and doctors were n o object, yes it woudl be wonderful but what sort of check up could they do without it becoming invasive? I doubt there's any one single test that could be done. Cholesterol is available on request but what else? A scan would be expensive. It would certainly avoid situations like mine where my GP spent at least 3 years before my heart attack, insisting my breathlessness was muscular or because I smoked; even though lung function tests were 100%. Ooops i forgot, women don't have heart attacks do they? According to the NHS, anyone over 60? is supposed to have an annual check up. I've been waiting for one for 11 years.