Important building blocks of a happy, healthy life are exercise, a balanced, healthy diet and sufficient rest. As a general practitioner, I accompany you on your individual path to a healthy lifestyle.
An important part of my work as a general practitioner is therefore focusing on health and prevention. During your check-up, we not only talk about pre-existing conditions, but also about your eating habits, exercise patterns, sleeping habits, emotional stress factors and your social environment.
Any chronic or acute pre-existing conditions, medication you are taking and allergies are then recorded. In fact, it is not only your own pre-existing conditions that are important, but also those of family members. Cardiovascular diseases in particular, but also high cholesterol levels and many other diseases can be subject to hereditary factors (genetic predisposition). Based on your biography and personal history, we will decide together which measures and components of the screening are important for you.
After a detailed consultation, during which all risk factors and the individual’s medical history are discussed, a physical examination is carried out. The vital parameters, i.e. blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature, are measured first. Then the heart and lungs are listened to, pulses are palpated and the abdomen and individual organ systems are examined. If blood pressure is repeatedly found to be elevated, a 24- hour blood pressure measurement may be useful.
A urine test is carried out to check whether the kidneys are permeable to large molecules, e.g. proteins, or whether there may be a hidden infection. Hidden blood in the urine (microhaematuria) or indications of diabetes can also be detected here. We decide which laboratory tests are important based on previous illnesses, medication and the personal risk profile. As part of the check-up, the blood sample and laboratory analysis always includes a complete blood count, blood coagulation values, liver and kidney values, electrolytes, cholesterol values, blood sugar and thyroid values. Other individual values are also useful, such as vitamin D levels. For vegetarians or vegans, for example, iron and vitamin B12 levels are important. Other nutrients may also be useful, depending on the individual profile.
An ECG can detect important signs of cardiovascular diseases. An ultrasound scan of the abdomen can examine and assess all important abdominal organs. ECG and ultrasound are painless and harmless examinations that can provide valuable information about the state of health and various diseases.
Vaccinations are an important part of prevention. During the check-up, we will go through your immunisation record together and discuss which vaccinations are due. If you are planning to travel abroad, various additional travel vaccinations may be necessary. The vaccinations can of course be carried out at my practice.
After receiving all the test results, we will discuss together how to proceed – sometimes medication needs to be adjusted or the dosage adapted or vaccinations may be due. If further examinations are necessary, you will be referred to other specialists with whom we work closely as a team.
The important thing is that being healthy and staying healthy take centre stage.
Dr. Med. Helena Class, Family medicine
