The annual checkup: what your family doctor checks and why it is worth it
What a checkup is for when you feel fine, which screenings are recommended at your age and what to bring to make the most of the visit.
“Why go to the doctor if nothing hurts?” It is the most common reason to skip a checkup, and also the reason checkups exist. Many of the problems that do the most damage over the years, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, do not hurt until they have progressed.
What a checkup is for
A checkup is not just “seeing how you are”. It is the moment to find problems before they cause symptoms, catch up on vaccines, review your medications and have a doctor who already knows you when something does go wrong.
What gets checked at your age
Recommendations change with age and with your risks, but these are the most common for adults according to MedlinePlus, from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF):
- Blood pressure: for adults 40 or older, or at higher risk, every year. Between 18 and 39, with no risk factors and a prior normal reading, every 3 to 5 years.
- Cholesterol: from age 20, every 4 to 6 years if you have no risk factors; more often if you do.
- Diabetes: from age 35 if you are overweight or have obesity, and every 3 years while that stays the same. Earlier if you have other risk factors.
- Colorectal cancer: between ages 45 and 75.
- Vaccines: flu every year, a tetanus booster (Td or Tdap) every 10 years, and the shingles vaccine, in 2 doses, from age 50.
Depending on your sex, your history and your family, your doctor may add other tests. That is what the visit is for.
What to bring
- Your ID and your insurance card.
- A list of your medications and supplements, with doses.
- Major illnesses in your family: parents, siblings, grandparents.
- Your questions, written down. They get forgotten in the exam room.
- If you have a blood pressure monitor at home, your recent readings.
A doctor who knows you
The value of a checkup grows over the years. When the same doctor sees your numbers year after year, they notice a small change before it becomes a big problem. At our clinic, the same doctors who handle your checkups are the ones who see you if you are ever in an accident. We care for children, adults and older adults, in English or Spanish.
Sources
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Health screenings for men ages 40 to 64.
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Health screenings for women ages 18 to 39.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Hypertension in Adults: Screening (2021).
This article is general information about our clinic and about preventive care. It is not medical advice and does not replace a consultation with a professional, who may recommend other tests based on your history. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.