(And i think i’ll soon be one of them because i don’t drink enough water daily…choi choi choi…)

About 2,500 people in Malaysia are diagnosed with kidney failure every year and the number can be expected to continue growing if nothing is done to check the prevalence of the disease.

Sabah Health Department Director, Dr. Marzukhi Md Isa said the National Renal Registry 2007 statistics showed that the number of kidney failure patients had increased from 100 persons per one million in 2003 to 130 per one million in 2007 due to unhealthy lifestyles.

He said according to a worldwide research one out of 10 adults faced a kidney problem and it is estimated that about 36 premature deaths will occur on earth by 2015 due to kidney disease, which also promotes cardiovascular disease and strokes.

Marzhuki was launching the World Kidney Day 2009 at 1Borneo here Saturday, which was jointly organised by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah Health Department and Sabah Medical Association.

According to him, high blood pressure is the main cause of kidney disease accounting for 80 per cent of kidney patients. Uncontrolled high blood pressure could lead to heart attacks, stroke and kidney failure.

This year’s World Kidney Day aims to create awareness among society on the prevention of kidney disease as well as the importance of early detection and (more…)

WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?

Many people thought screening their eyes are unimportant. But do you know what is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name given to a series of devastating diseases that irreversibly damage the eye’s optic nerve. If left unchecked, this can result in serious vision loss over time.

Glaucoma is commonly detected by measuring the pressure in the eye, also known as intraocular pressure (IOP). When eye pressure increases over time, the optic nerve becomes damaged.

Worldwide, an estimated 6.7 million people are blind from glaucoma, with approximately 70 million people living with the condition.

The only modifiable glaucoma risk factor is high eye pressure, though it is possible to develop the condition without it. Due to the build-up of natural fluid produced by the eye, high eye pressure causes permanent damage to the optic nerve, the “cable” used by the eye to communicate to the brain. High eye pressure may exist without noticeable symptoms so many people do not know they have it if their vision is not checked regularly.

In fact, people may not notice vision loss until 40% or more of their optic nerve has been damaged. IOP is an easily identifiable risk factor; however people who fall within the normal IOP range may still be at risk for glaucoma.

RISK FACTORS FOR GLAUCOMA

Since glaucoma may not demonstrate any early symptoms, it’s important to learn the risk factors and to discuss them with an eye health professional. The primary risk factors for glaucoma include: (more…)

Throughout our lives, we undergo changes in our bodies, or we experience issues that could possibly lead to more serious medical complications in the future, down the road. Most of the time, during the prime of our life, there’s little need for anything other than an annual medical checkup or the like.

But as we age, there eventually comes a point in our lives where we need to start contemplating deeper, more involved medical checkups. Therefore, it’s important to know what your comprehensive health screening should cover.

For starters, most screening packages come in a number of different versions, though all will have certain common elements among them. Probably, the best one could also be referred to as a cardiac risk health screening exam.

Within that, you’d commonly see tests like a body mass index (BMI), a blood pressure test using a blood pressure cuff, maybe a simple screening test for diabetes and what’s called a blood lipid panel. That checks the blood for good and bad cholesterols (HDL and LDL) and triglycerides, for the most part.

A genuine, true comprehensive health screening, though, will screen a person thoroughly using a number of different exams or tests. Blood is collected, as in a urine sample and stool sample. They are checked for the presence or absence of certain things which could indicate a possible medical condition.

When these three fall within normal ranges for certain chemicals and the like, there’s generally no problem.

Of course, an overall physical assessment is done. Males will have a couple of items looked at that females wouldn’t necessarily get checked, and vice-versa. PAP smears and breast ultrasound are two female-specific test that males will never undergo, and that fact pleases men as much as it irks females!

Many times, in comprehensive health screening should adhere to WHO guidelines as to the number of tests required. There should be at least a chest x-ray to visualize the lungs for any calcification or walling off of vital lung tissue. Vision and hearing tests are normal, as are a dental exam and the taking of a thorough medical history.

Thankfully, the emphasis in medicine is turning more towards this kind of preventive, regular screening and relying less on treating problems when they finally crop up. With early testing and the cultivation of good health habits like quitting smoking or never taking it up to begin with.

Also with sound dietary intake, we may find that the comprehensive health screening exam is just about all we’ll ever need over the course of most of our life.

For the full list of comprehensive health screening items from MJ, just drop us a line.

Human beings live a relatively long time, at least in comparison to most animal species. Overall, we rank in the top ten percent of all species when it comes to long life, nowadays. A lot of that long lifespan can be directly credited to improvements over the last hundred years in public health programs like vaccinations, purifying water, antiseptic surgery techniques and eradication of a few major diseases, such as smallpox.

So, given that we tend to be living longer lives, we really need to ask ourselves the question “what is the right age to start health screening and regular checkups?”

The answer itself isn’t as cut-and-dried as we’d like it to be, unfortunately. Generally, the frequency and interval of health screening and regular checkups occurs on a kind of scale, where we get more of that sort of preventive medicine both in our younger, pre-teen years and in our older so-called “senior years” of age 50 and over.

But, the answer also has to factor in the individual personal medical circumstances that each person may have undergone in the past or is currently undergoing in the present. By this, we mean have they had a serious or life-threatening illness like cancer that they’ve managed to beat, or are they undergoing an illness at present? Now, once we’re able to satisfactorily address those input factors, we’ll be able to more accurately set a precise timeframe.

When we’re young and in our pre-teen years, we may not have yet had all our immunizations or we may not yet have fully developed natural immunities to various bugs and illnesses out in the world. That’s why a regular checkup on a yearly or bi-yearly basis may be a good bet.

This allows the pediatrician (child doctor) to gauge the health of the growing child in an intelligent manner. Once kids hit their teens, checkups can generally be done on a longer time range going all the way up to every five years.

Young adults and adults up to age 30 can get away with checkups every two years, for the most part, except for PAP screening in women and also regular breast self-examination. There are also some recommended individual screening tests once we hit age 40, but nothing too complicated.

At age 30 and onward, regular annual checkups should be mandatory, as well as regular screenings for certain male or female issues that tend to appear as we age. Check with your doctor or local health maintenance advocate for a list of screening tests which should be done.

Intelligent planning and forethought in getting medically screened can make a world of difference to any person’s quality of life. Try to adhere to an effective yet simple-to-follow healthcare plan whenever possible!

Over the course of our life, chances are we’ll undergo several thorough health screening exams. This is because our bodies undergo changes as we progress through the various stages of our lives, from young child to elderly senior citizen.

It’s because of this factor that it’s recommended that these sorts of examinations be performed from time-to-time. Most of them consist of a few basic and a few thorough tests and exams, including a blood test.

In this, a quick test looks at our red blood and white blood cell counts to check for anemia, infections or possible imminent disease or dysfunction. But, what else does a health screening blood test reveal?

Let’s start out by saying that a thorough examination of the blood taken from a patient undergoing a health screening is probably one of the most useful diagnostic tools available to the physician of any era, including this one.

In the age of the MRI or CT scan, examining a person’s blood for the presence or absence of certain chemicals, factors and other items, blood test can still be the most basic way to determine if there’s something very serious going on in our bodies that we may not otherwise be able to find out, if we’re currently “asymptomatic” (without any symptoms).

As to what things our health screening blood test can reveal, well the answer can be dependent upon several factors. What was the health screening for? Was it an annual screen for general health or were we looking for certain chemicals, hormones, amino acids or proteins in the bloodstream that could be reliable indicators of something more serious than just anemia? All of these issues come into play when it comes to blood screening and values.

Generally, though, our blood will be checked for several things. The amount of hemoglobin in our blood is always determined. This is a protein in our red blood cells (RBCs) that carries oxygen. In cases where there may be internal bleeding of some sort, hemoglobin could be significantly lower. Also, the levels of the blood’s various lipids, or fats, are checked for.

The exam will look at both “good” (HDL, or High-Density Lipoprotein) and “bad” (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol. Those two, plus fatty acids in the blood, called triglycerides receive a thorough look-see. If LDL and triglycerides are too high, the patient’s risk of heart disease and other ailments is usually aslso higher. The presence of high levels of HDL can help lower the risk, by the way.

All in all, examining the blood for hemoglobin, HDL, LDL and triglycerides is normally all that’s needed in a thorough health screening exam. And people should have these sorts of blood tests on a medically-recommended basis.

Above all, a blood test does not accurately reveal if there’s any lump or cysts, first stage of cancerous tumor plus their size or location. Your blood test is useful if they are accompany by other thorough screening to get a complete health record of you.