Primary Care Screenings
Black women die from stroke at disproportionately high rates. Seeing a primary care doctor at least yearly (even if we’re healthy) can help us identify and treat risk factors like high blood pressure long before they become severe enough to cause a potentially deadly stroke. Before we get to that, let’s explore how you prioritize primary care visits. Scroll down for the discussion question we covered in this week’s Daily Wellness Text Chat.
This Week’s Discussion Question:
Last week, we established that seeing a healthcare provider is an essential part of wellness. Was this news to you and do you agree? Why?
What Chronic Disease Screening Should I Expect at My Annual Physical Exam?
Checking in with primary care doctor can help you identify problems that can lead to potentially deadly conditions like heart attack and stroke before they’re too far gone. That’s called primary prevention.
Primary prevention:
Visiting your primary care provider at least once a year can help you identify any of the factors that can put you at risk for developing those conditions 10-plus years down the line.
This type of screening is called primary prevention if you’ve never developed any of the following conditions:
You’ve never had a heart attack or signs of coronary artery syndrome like angina; you’ve never had a stroke or TIA or peripheral artery disease including abdominal aortic aneurysm, and you’re not diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes.
An annual physical exam with your primary care provider might include:
Weight:
-checking weight every visit to calculate BMI (screening for overweight and obesity which can increase risk of stroke and heart attack)
Blood Sugar:
-checking for type 2 diabetes if you have other risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or if you’re managing overweight or obesity.
Blood Pressure:
-checking blood pressure every visit
Cholesterol:
-checking cholesterol at least every 3-5 years if you’re 40 years and older if no risk factors (including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, family history of heart attack (female relative before 60, male relative before 50), family history of high cholesterol).
-checking cholesterol as early as 20 years old if you have any of the risk factors above
-follow-up as often as every 3 months if you’re taking cholesterol meds
Kidney Health:
-checking your kidney function to screen for kidney disease if you have risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes or other diseases that affect the blood vessels like lupus)
Secondary Prevention:
If you already have blood vessel disease of the heart or brain, your primary care doctor works with your specialists to check on your risk factors like blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol.
If you’ve been diagnosed with the conditions above you should have visited a specialist to get specific treatment from a doctor whose primary focus is treating your specific disease.
If you’re ever visited a specialist, you probably know it’s pretty hard to schedule an appointment with them. But, it’s easier to get in to see your primary care doctor. So, once you’ve been checked by a specialist at least once, your primary care doctor can be your first line to check on these conditions more frequently than a specialist can.
If you’re over 20 years old and you HAVE had a heart attack or signs of coronary artery syndrome like angina, or a stroke or TIA, or peripheral artery disease (including abdominal aortic aneurysm), and you’re not not diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes. your primary care doctor can help you keep track of the following risk factors:
Weight:
-checking weight every visit to calculate BMI (screening for overweight and obesity which can increase risk of stroke and heart attack)
Blood Sugar:
-Check your blood sugar using a blood test (usually an A1c test) to assess your risk of type 2 diabetes. Discuss starting a medication or trying lifestyle changes if blood sugar is elevated into the range of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Blood Pressure:
-Check that your blood pressure is at the right goal for your age and combination of chronic conditions. Discuss starting a blood pressure medication or trying lifestyle changes if needed.
-If your blood pressure was above your goal (not a good thing) your primary care doctor might ask you to follow up within 1 week to 3 months to re-check it after starting a new medication and/or trying out lifestyle changes.
Cholesterol:
-Check cholesterol and discuss starting cholesterol meds like a statin to lower cholesterol within weeks to months.
-Follow up to check cholesterol as often as every 3 months
Kidney Health:
-checking your kidney function to screen for kidney disease if you have risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes or other diseases that affect the blood vessels like lupus)
Hope you’re getting some rest during this Holiday season. Talk soon.
Happy Healthy Living,
Dr. Wuse