Why & How Annual Preventive Health Screening Can Tackle The Top Killers In India

An annual preventive health screening can help you prevent non-communicable diseases which are the top killers in India. Here's why and how.

While annual preventive health screening is a common concept in Japan and a mandatory to-do for the citizens, in India, not much importance is given to it. This has adverse consequences. A 2018 World Health Organisation (WHO) report shows that Japan is ranked number 1 and has the world’s longest life expectancy at 84.2 years. This is attributed to the regular health screening - a way of life and part of the culture in Japan. When compared to this, India, where the attitude towards preventive health screening is quite poor, is ranked number 125 with an average life expectancy of only 68 years - a difference of over 15 years of quality life! 

Not just life expectancy, the lack of awareness about the importance of preventive health screening in India has greater associated concerns. The Lancet’s Global Burden of Disease Report, 2020 reveals that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), Respiratory Diseases like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Stroke and Cancer are the top killers in the country. When compared to similar data from 2009, there has been a remarkable shift from communicable or infectious diseases to non-communicable, lifestyle disorders in terms of the death burden. Non-communicable diseases like CVD and Cancer progress slowly, are often irreversible, cannot be completely cured but are well-controlled.

For these diseases, prevention is better than cure and regular preventive screening can not only help us identify the early risk of developing these diseases but also allows us to take steps to overcome them before they reach an irreversible state. 

Here’s how preventive health screening can benefit those suffering from non-communicable diseases which are also the top killers in India. 

Cardiovascular diseases - In Cardiovascular Diseases and Ischemic Heart Disease and Heart attacks, the problem is due to a slow build-up of cholesterol-laden plaques along the walls of the coronary arteries. This leads to a narrowing of the blood vessels and a decrease in blood supply to the heart muscle/myocardium. When there is a sudden critical decrease in blood supply, it leads to a heart attack. Preventive health screening can help us identify these plaques early, even when they are as low as 10-20 per cent and help us initiate measures to reverse the build-up of these plaques such as diet control, exercise, stopping smoking and alcohol, reducing stress and high blood pressure, controlling diabetes and overcoming obesity. 

Diabetes - Diabetes Mellitus is a harbinger of many diseases. A person with poorly controlled sugars is at risk for injury to multiple organs in the body such as the eye, the heart and blood vessels, the kidney, the brain and the nerves. It also reduces a person’s immunity making him/her prone to infections. The HbA1c or Glycosylated Hemoglobin levels tell us how a person’s sugar control is over the last 3 months. Also, the fat-muscle distribution with the overall fat content gives us a good idea of their diet and activity level which in turn impacts an individual’s sugar control. Preventive screening for diabetes especially in people with a family history of the disease can help them understand their risks and create lifestyle modifications thereby decreasing their risk of developing Diabetes in the future. In proven Diabetics, screening gives them a good idea of areas of focus for achieving better control of their sugars, thereby avoiding complications.

Cancer - Cancers in India mostly prove to be fatal because most cancers are diagnosed late. Early diagnosis of cancers often results in curative treatment and improved survival. Delayed diagnosis results in a decreased chance of survival and also a heavy financial, physical, emotional and social strain. Current Indian healthcare checkups are not yet focused on cancer screening and this adds to the burden. A shift in this attitude can help roll back the rise of cancer as a leading cause of death in India. 

Dr Tausif Ahmed Thangalvadi, Medical Director and General Manager of NURA gives us a detailed understanding of how NURA’s advanced technology-enabled preventive health screening can deal with the common non-communicable diseases in India. 

Cardiovascular diseases - We use a low dose CT scan to measure the amount of Calcium deposited in the Coronary Arteries and calculate the Heart Calcium score. This helps us infer the amount of plaque build-up in the arteries and estimate whether the person has a risk of a heart attack. A zero score means the person has healthy coronaries and minimal risk of a heart attack. The higher the score, the higher the risk. This method allows us to non-invasively detect calcium deposits of even as low as 10-20%. We also use the Lipid profile to check cholesterol levels in the person’s blood thereby being able to better advise them on their diet and exercise level. The same is done by our Visceral Fat test, which shows the amount of fat deposited around our organs internally and can be a risk for organ injury in the future. Knowing their visceral fat level can motivate people to work harder to reduce their risk. The procedure for Heart Calcium score and Visceral Fat Score is a CT scan and for lipid profile is a routine blood test. 

Diabetes - We use the HbA1c to check for one’s sugar control over the last 3 months. As all diabetologists will tell you, it is a better test to monitor sugar control rather than routine fasting and postprandial blood sugar. This is a routine blood test. We also measure the Fat Mass Index (FMI), which is an indicator to measure one’s fat mass relative to his height. It is more accurate than the Body Mass Index (BMI) and also a more specific indicator of a person’s health status than BMI. This helps to calculate the average calorie requirement per day thereby helping the guest plan their diet better. We use the DEXA scan to measure the muscle-fat ratio and their distribution to help one do focused exercises for areas that would help make the greatest difference for them. The more muscle we have, the better is our glucose utilisation thereby resulting in better sugar control. 

Cancer - At NURA, we screen for four important cancers for men, namely Oral, Lung, Colon and Prostate. And for five important cancers in women - Breast, Cervical, Oral, Lung and Colon. We screen for each of them in the following manner: 

Oral cancer: We use white and blue light to take images of the oral cavity and our artificial intelligence (Ai) enabled equipment picks up all suspicious areas. This is further checked and validated by our in-house dentist before the report is issued.

Lung Cancer: We use an ultra low dose CT scan (using only 0.2mGy) to image the lung and look for any suspicious nodules or lesions. Our Ai enabled CT scanners can pick up even the smallest lesions with accuracy thereby ensuring that nothing is missed. 

Colon Cancer:  We use a FIT kit (Fecal Immunochemical Test Kit) to collect a stool sample from the guest and look for any signs suggestive of colon cancer. This helps us to identify any early risk which may then need a referral to a specialist. 

Prostate Cancer: We use the internationally accepted blood test for the prostate-specific antigen to diagnose any risk of prostate cancer which is the 2nd most common cancer in men across the world. It is a simple blood test. 

Breast Cancer: The gold standard for diagnosing breast cancer is a mammogram but many women hesitate as it is often painful. At NURA, our sweet fit paddle technology allows women to experience the mammogram with the least amount of pain and help screen for breast cancer. All women must get themselves screened regularly for breast cancer which is the most common cancer in the world. 

Cervical cancer: It is the 3rd most common cancer-specific to women. At NURA, we do a colposcopy and capture images of the cervix. The Ai enabled equipment allows us to pick up areas of concern. This is then checked by a gynaecologist and validated before the report is issued. This has been proven internationally to be better than a pap smear and a direct visualisation with the naked eye. 

Dr Thangalvadi adds: “Preventive Health Screening is no doubt an essential concept to nip the non-communicable diseases at the bud and at NURA, we try to make appropriate use of Japan’s advanced technology to ensure the patients have a safe, accurate, comfortable and quick experience.”

Visit NURA’s website for more information and register for your preventive health screening slot booking for healthy ageing. 

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