Health screening is important for all women. Unsure of which to go for? The Health Assessment Centre at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) tells more.
As primary caregivers, women are often too busy looking after their families to take care of their own diet, nutrition and general health needs.
Even if the sniffles come, they may neglect seeing a doctor until it is too late. It’s then only too easy for women to fall prey to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Also, women are more susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis and cancer of the breast.
But if women look after themselves first, they can enjoy good health and an enhanced quality of life, and do more for their families too. To achieve this optimal state, regular health screenings and preventive care are a must, say experts at the
Health Assessment Centre at
Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the
SingHealth group.
So ladies, don’t let your health take a back seat to your family and career. Check out the list of recommended screenings intended for you, given below.
Recommendations by age
For those aged 18 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Obesity | - Body mass index (BMI)
- Waist circumference
| Once a year |
For those aged 21 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
| High blood pressure | Office measurement of blood pressure | - At least once every 2 years if diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is below 85 mmHg and systolic blood pressure (SBP) is below 130 mmHg
- Annually if DBP is 85-89 mmHg or SBP is 130-139 mmHg
- Every visit to physician for those whose BP is higher or if they have diabetes and any other major coronary risk factor
|
For those aged 25 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
Cervical cancer*
*For those who have had sexual intercourse only | Pap smear | Once every three years |
For those aged 40 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Diabetes mellitus | Fasting blood glucose | Once every three years |
| Hyperlipidaemia (High blood cholesterol) | Fasting lipids | Once every three years |
| Breast cancer | - Clinical breast exam
- Mammogram
| Once a year |
For those aged 50 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Breast cancer | Mammogram | Once every two years |
| Colorectal cancer | - Faecal immunochemical test (FIT)
- Colonoscopy
| Once a year |
| | - Computed tomography (CT)
- Colonography
| Once every five years, if the initial tests are negative. Or, as advised by doctor. |
For those aged 65 and above...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Osteoporosis | Bone mineral density (BMD) scan | As advised by doctor |
| Visual acuity | Snellen chart | As advised by doctor |
Recommendations by risk level (due to genetics, ethnicity or environmental factors)
If you are a BRCA gene carrier...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Breast cancer | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) breast scan | Once a year |
| Ovarian cancer | Transvaginal ultrasound | As advised by doctor |
If you are from a country where hepatitis B is common...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Hepatitis B | Hepatitis B screening | As advised by doctor |
If you are from countries where tuberculosis (TB) is common, or if you come in close contact with TB patients...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Tuberculosis | Chest X-ray | As advised by doctor |
If you have a family history of thalassaemia...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Thalassaemia | Thalassaemia screening | As advised by doctor |
If you have a family history of kidney disorder/dysfunction...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Kidney disorder/ dysfunction | Kidney function test | Once a year |
If you have a strong family history of NPC...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) | - Nasoscopy
- Tumour marker for NPC
| As advised by doctor |
If you have intermediate coronary heart disease risk…
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Coronary heart disease | - Apolipoprotein A
- Electrocardiography (ECG)
- High-sensitivity C- reactive protein (hs-CRP)
- CT coronary calcium score
- Treadmill stress test
| As advised by doctor |
If you have a high risk for osteoporosis…
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Osteoporosis | Bone mineral density (BMD) scan | As advised by doctor |
Recommendations by health condition
If you have diabetes...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Diabetic retinopathy | Retinal fundal photography | Once a year or more frequently as advised by the doctor*. |
| Kidney disorder/ dysfunction | Urine analysis | As advised by doctor |
| Peripheral vascular disease | Ankle-brachial index (ABI) | As advised by doctor |
| Diabetic microalbuminuria/ albuminuria/ nephropathy | Urine microalbumin/creatinine ratio | Once a year* |
* For those with type 1 diabetes, screening should begin five years after diagnosis. For those with type 2 diabetes, screening should begin at diagnosis.
If you are a hepatitis B carrier or have liver cirrhosis...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Liver cancer/ hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) | - Alpha-foeto-protein (AFP)
- Ultrasound of the hepatobiliary system
| Once a year |
If you have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Kidney disorder/ dysfunction | Urine analysis | As advised by doctor |
| Peripheral vascular disease (if you have both high blood pressure and hyperlipidaemia) | Ankle-brachial index (ABI) | As advised by doctor |
If you are planning to get pregnant...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Anaemia (iron deficiency anaemia) | Full blood count | Once before pregnancy |
If you are obese or have autoimmune disease...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Thyroid disorder | Thyroid function test | As advised by doctor |
Recommendations by lifestyle habits
If you are a smoker (especially if you’re aged 50 and above)...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Kidney disorder/ dysfunction | Kidney function test/renal panel | Once a year |
| Peripheral vascular disease | Ankle-brachial index (ABI) | As advised by doctor |
If you are exposed to excessive noise
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Hearing loss/ deafness | Audiometry | Once a year |
If you practise high-risk sexual behaviour...
| Screen for | Health Tests | How Often? |
|---|
| Syphilis | Venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test | As advised by doctor |
| HIV infection | HIV testing | As advised by doctor |
The SGH Health Assessment Centre is a one-stop centre that offers health screening programmes that are tailored to the health needs of each individual. The centre also provides general medical care and follow-up consultations for patients who have identified health problems.
Ref: T12
