General Health Check-Up

What are the indications for a General Health Check-Up?

1. Whenever anyone wants a general body checkup as a preventive measure, the following tests may be advised to help rule out abnormalities in the body’s systems.
2. This may be advised once a year for everybody.

What are the tests needed for the body check-up?

1. Complete blood cell count (CBC) includes:
   1. Hemoglobin.
   2. Total leucocyte count.
   3. Differential count.
   4. Platelets count.
   5. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
      1. It will rule out anemias.
      2. Differentiate between acute and chronic infections.
      3. Diagnose leukemias.
2. Urine complete examination:
   1. It is the most helpful test for detecting many bodily abnormalities.
   2. It is inexpensive, non-invasive, and quick.
   3. It can diagnose any kidney disease.
   4. It can diagnose diabetes mellitus.
3. Fasting Lipid profile, which will include:
   1. Cholesterol.
   2. Triglyceride.
   3. LDL.
   4. HDL.
   5. VLDL.
   6. The lipid profile is essential for any risk of heart disease.
   7. Lipid profile abnormalities can be treated to prevent early heart problems.
4. The metabolic panel includes :
   1. Fasting Glucose.
   2. Albumin.
   3. Calcium.
   4. Uric acid.
   5. LDH.
   6. These tests can diagnose diabetes mellitus.
   7. In the case of joint pain, uric acid will be raised.
   8. Albumin levels can help rule out any liver or kidney disease.
   9. An elevated LDH level will require further workup to identify any organ damage.
5. Kidney functions include:
   1. Urea.
   2. Creatinine.
   3. Sodium.
   4. Potassium.
   5. A kidney function test will assess kidney damage.
   6. Needed in patients with chronic renal failure for follow-up.
6. Liver functions include:
   1. SGPT.
   2. SGOT.
   3. Gamma- GT.
   4. An LFT can diagnose any liver injury.
   5. It can differentiate obstructive jaundice from jaundice due to liver injury.
7. Thyroid functions include:
   1. T3.
   2. T4.
   3. TSH.
   4. Thyroid function will diagnose hypo or hyperthyroidism.
   5. Help in the management of goiter.
8. X-Ray chest:
   1. It will rule out any lung disease like tuberculosis, Emphysema or any tumor infiltrate.
9. Ultrasound abdomen:
   1. Rule out any organomegaly.
   2. It can find any stones in the kidneys or gallbladder.

What tests are included in a comprehensive metabolic panel?

1. Glucose.
2. Total protein.
3. Albumin.
4. Bilirubin.
5. Blood Urea.
6. Creatinine.
7. Sodium.
8. Potassium.
9. Carbon dioxide.
10. Chloride.
11. Calcium.
12. Alkaline phosphatase.
13. SGOT.
14. SGPT.
15. To complete the health check-up, also add the following test:
    1. LDH.
    2. Uric acid.

How will you summarize the metabolic panel?

Metabolic panel tests	What is the importance
Blood glucose	Diagnose diabetes mellitus
Calcium	To evaluate bone To study nerve conduction To evaluate muscle function
Sodium	To evaluate the electrolyte balance
Potassium	Given in heart diseases Help in muscle function
Blood urea (Urea nitrogen)	To evaluate the kidney function
Creatinine	To evaluate kidney function
Albumin	To evaluate liver function To evaluate nutritional status
Total protein	To evaluate protein metabolism
Alkaline phosphatase	To evaluate liver function To evaluate bone disorders
SGOT (AST)	To evaluate liver cell injury To evaluate muscle injury
SGPT (ALT)	More helpful for liver cell injury
Bilirubin	It can find hemolysis It can evaluate liver function
Carbon dioxide (CO2)	It is part of the electrolytes
Chloride (CL)	It is part of the electrolytes
Uric acid	It evaluates joint pain It help in kidney stones
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDL )	It evaluates liver injury It is advised in tumors

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