How to Determine Your Medical Risks
When you visit your doctor for your annual check-up, here are the 4 things you should discuss
Here are the 4 things that determine your medical risk:
Heredity – If everyone in your family has a heart attack when they are young, it is smart to worry about heart disease early. If they all lived to be 100, then not so much. Discuss the significance of these facts. Some diseases are more significant to have in your family tree than others. Colon cancer, for example, has a strong genetic link, whereas leukemia is not as clearly genetic.
Lifestyle – Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you spend your time in front of the TV eating cookie dough ice cream? Do you work around asbestos or lead? All of these facts need to be discussed because they can affect your health.
Medical History – Diabetes, high blood pressure, past history of cancer, or prolonged use of certain medications will play a big part in determining what has to be monitored or watched for.
Age and Sex – These are big variable that determine risk. For example: People in their 20’s are more likely to die from accidents than from cancer. Men have heart disease earlier than women, but women are much more at risk for breast cancer.
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About the Author
Dr. Sanaz Majd is a board-certified Family Medicine physician who graduated from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Her special interests are women’s health and patient education.
