Catching Things Early
Addressing potential health issues early is always wiser than fixing problems later. Our cutting-edge assessments ensure accurate detection, empowering you to act proactively and protect your health.
Early detection saves lives. Being aware means acting sooner—and that can make all the difference.
At First Health Check, our vision is to make you live longer, healthier and independent lives. Most diseases like Coronary Heart and Cancer, once they develop and cause symptoms, have very low survival rates compared to if they are caught at the earliest stages of development.
We firmly believe that prevention is better than cure, that’s because sometimes we don’t get the opportunity for a cure. It’s proven that early detection saves lives, especially in diseases from arising in the first place. Prevention is as important at seventy five years of age as it is at age eight.
Be in the know, take better action
Preventing Diseases Early
Lung Cancer: A Serious Concern
Lung cancer is a serious health condition that can significantly impact the quality of a person’s life and longevity. Around 50,000 people develop lung cancer each year in the UK and It is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
Risk Factors
- Smoking: The most significant risk factor for lung cancer is smoking, both active and passive smoking.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke: Even if you don’t smoke, exposure to secondhand smoke can increase your risk.
- Exposure to radon: Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in some homes and can increase the risk of lung cancer.
- Exposure to asbestos: Asbestos exposure, especially in occupational settings, is linked to lung cancer.
- Family history: Having a family history of lung cancer can increase your risk.
Symptoms
Early-stage lung cancer often has no symptoms. As the cancer progresses, symptoms may include:
- Persistent cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
- Sudden weight loss
- Fatigue
Diagnosis
Lung cancer is diagnosed through imaging tests using a CT scanner which is the most sensitive means of detecting lung cancer. At First Health Check our specialist chest radiologists detect even the smallest of cancers, making it far more sensitive than using an x-ray which can generally detect tumours around 10mm in size, and where an MRI scanner cannot detect the image of the chest at all.
Prevention
The best way to prevent lung cancer is to avoid smoking and being around it. If you’re a smoker, quitting can significantly reduce your risk. Additionally, preventative health assessments can help detect lung cancer early, when it is most treatable.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), is a health condition where the arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrow or blocked. This can lead to a heart attack or other serious complications.
Causes
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of Coronary Heart Disease. It occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart. If the plaque ruptures, it can trigger blood clots that may fully block an artery—causing a heart attack. With the right education and access to preventative health screenings, early detection becomes possible. And early detection saves lives
Risk Factors
Several factors can increase your risk, including:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Family history
- Age (men over 45, women over 55)
Symptoms
Coronary Heart Disease often has no symptoms, especially in its early stages. However, as the condition progresses, you may experience:
- Chest pain or discomfort (angina)
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Light headed
Diagnosis
Your doctor may use a variety of tests to diagnose, including:
CT Coronary Angiogram : Screens 3D images that use x-rays to visualise the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the severity of the condition and may include:
- Lifestyle changes: Healthy diet, regular exercise, weight management, and quitting smoking.
- Medications: Blood pressure medications, cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood thinners, and heart failure medications.
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG): Surgery to bypass blocked arteries.
- Angioplasty: A procedure to widen narrowed arteries using a balloon and stent.
Prevention
You can reduce your risk of CHD by:
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Quitting smoking
- Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes
Burying our heads in the sand won’t fix the problem if anything it will make it much worse.
A preventative health assessment will mitigate the future risk of a heart attack and early death.
What We Detect
The word cancer immediately strikes fear into our hearts. Unfortunately, it’s all too common and overall incidence rates continue to increase with over 380,000 new cases of cancer per year in the UK.
Many cancers are preventable, such as cancers triggered by smoking, which accounts for almost 15% of all cancer cases. However, many are not and it is vitally important to detect the disease as early as possible. A First Health Check Assessment will help determine whether you need to take action now and to do anything differently in the future. Numerous health assessment companies offer wellness plans and lifestyle change strategies, which sound good. But without a baseline of exactly what is going on right now, is not enough.
How First Health Check Detects Cancer
At First health Check our advanced assessment packages are intricately designed to detect in both men and women, at least 19 cancers which is achieved by a combination of MRI and Ultrasound scans, Physical examination Blood tests, Respiratory disease, Circulatory system disease and Disease of the digestive system. Some of which we will find through various scans and some through comprehensive blood tests, and through examination and consultation by one of our experienced senior physicians.
Don’t let preventable diseases take their toll. Our Preventative Health Assessments can help protect your health and the health of those you love. Early detection saves lives, fact!