Health Check

What Does Health Check Mean?

The health check is a medical examination to assess the current state of health in a patient. The essential body functions and values are examined. The purpose of the health check is to detect and treat diseases such as diabetes mellitus , cancer, heart diseases , vascular disease, and kidney failure as early as possible. Therefore, this examination should be used regularly, even if the patient feels well because diseases rarely cause symptoms in the early stages!

Which Examination Are Part of the Health Check?

The first step of the health check is the medical history. The patient should provide detailed information about previous illnesses, surgeries, prescribed medication, and allergies. He will also be asked if diseases run in the family, as these are often hereditary diseases.

The social and family situation and aspects of lifestyle that have an influence on health (cigarette and alcohol consumption, sports) are also documented.

A physical examination will follow. First, height and weight are determined, and the body mass index is calculated. Then a full-body status is determined, i.e., the clinical examination of the entire body, palpation of the abdomen, ankles and lymph nodes, auscultation of the heart and lungs, and checking important reflexes.

Finally, urine and a blood sample are taken (usually a health check is carried out in a fasting patient) and sent to the laboratory. The blood is checked for cholesterol and glucose (sugar) content, the urine for protein, glucose, and blood cells. All of this can indicate kidney dysfunction.

Further examinations can often be booked individually.

• Bone density measurement
• Ultrasound
• Full-body-magnet resonance tomography (MRI)
• Virtual Colonoscopy
• Stress-ECG
• Lung function test
• Skin-screening
• Further special examinations

What Happen After the Health Check?

Once all tests have been completed and evaluated, the treating physician informs the patient whether any abnormalities have been detected, and disease is suspected. If this is the case, further examinations are arranged with a specialist.

In each case, the physician explains to his patient whether there is an individual risk for a specific disease, be it due to family history, physical status, or unhealthy lifestyle habits. Finally, the patient is advised on how to prevent certain diseases and stay healthy, for example, by reducing stress , changing the diet , or giving up smoking.

Costs of a Complete Health Check

A complete health check is usually not covered by health insurance companies. The doctors bill them as private medical services according to the current scale of charges. For a cost estimate, contact the specialists in advance and also speak to your health insurance company.

Sources :

• https://www.ikk-classic.de/oc/de/ikk-classic/leistungen/vorsorge/erwachsene/gesundheits-check-up/
• https://www.dak.de/dak/leistungen/Gesundheitscheck-1430216.html
• https://www.kvberlin.de/30patienten/30vorsorge/40check/