Page 14 - IFV_Issue 8_2022

Health & Wellness

TEN HEALTH CHECKS EVERY

WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

his Women’s Month, women are before symptoms become noticeable. “Almost all diseases, disabilities and
being encouraged to make their In most cases, treating a disease early deaths caused by high blood pressure
Thealth a priority by scheduling on provides a better prognosis. Regular are preventable. So, roll up your sleeve
overdue health checks. health checks can also help to reduce and get your blood pressure checked.
Health screenings should generally be risk factors and/or treat abnormalities This can be done at most pharmacy
done even though you feel healthy. The that could lead to more serious disease clinics or at your GP,” says Nicole
aim is to detect disease at an early stage later on. Jennings, spokesperson for leading
The screenings you’ll need typically local pharmaceutical company, Pharma
change as you age, but here’s a list of Dynamics. “A blood pressure screening
the ten essential health checks women should be done annually from the age
should prioritise. of 18. A normal reading should be below
120/80 mm Hg.”
1. Blood pressure screening
High blood pressure is called the silent 2. Cholesterol check
killer since it typically doesn’t cause any This check assesses your risk for
symptoms, but has a devastating effect developing heart disease or stroke. You
on your health. Research conducted should have this done at least every five
in South Africa shows that high blood years from the age of 20. However, if you
pressure rates among women have have a history of cardiovascular disease in
climbed in the last two decades. A your family or suffer from it, you should
study sample comprising 7 740 women have it done more regularly. Normal
pointed to an increase in hypertension cholesterol levels should be less than 5
prevalence from 31% to 48% in the last mmol/l. If it’s higher, make a plan to see
two decades. your doctor.

3. Blood glucose
Women aged 45 and older should get
their blood glucose checked every three
years to detect their risk for diabetes.
A fasting plasma glucose reading of
6.1 - 6.9 mmol/l and higher may indicate
that you’re prediabetic, while anything
≥ 7 mmol/l indicates diabetes.

4. HIV
Given the high rate of HIV/AIDS in
South Africa, it’s recommended that
women get tested once a year. This
involves a simple prick test or swab of the
cheek that can be done at a GP or clinic.

5. Pap smear
A pap smear is recommended every
three years, starting from the age of 25.
Your doctor will take cells from your cervix
with a small brush. This then gets sent to

12 • Issue 8 2022 • The Villager