60% of Indians aged 25-75 delay health checkups until illness affects daily life

Dr Abhik Banerjee

Preventive health is all about staying one step ahead of illness. It involves regular screenings and routine tests that can help to check for problems before they turn serious. Unfortunately, in India, preventive care is often neglected, and there is a lack of awareness about it. This delay can often happen due to busy schedules, lack of awareness, or the common belief that tests should only be done when one is unwell or experiences any symptoms. Timely preventive health check-ups are advised for everyone to improve the quality of life.

Many conditions develop quietly without showing obvious symptoms. Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies can cause fatigue, muscle pain, and low immunity, but are often mistaken for stress or aging. Thyroid dysfunction can lead to weight changes, mood swings, and irregular periods, yet remains undetected in many people for years. High blood sugar can damage organs even before diabetes is diagnosed, and bone health issues like early osteoporosis can cause irreversible damage if ignored.

Women often miss early signs of PCOD or hormonal imbalance because symptoms like irregular periods or weight gain are taken for granted. Even anemia, a lack of healthy red blood cells, is still common and can cause severe weakness if untreated. Joint degeneration is also seen in many people, starting silently and becoming painful only when the damage is advanced. Approximately 60% of Indians aged 25-75 delay testing until a health problem starts affecting their daily life, when it is already harder to treat.

Yearly health check-ups, inclusive of Vitamin D, B12, thyroid, HbA1c, and bone density screening, Complete blood count should be done by everyone. Those with a history of any disease or condition should opt for quarterly or after six months

Basic checkups can include Vitamin D and B12 levels to understand the levels of these vitamins in the body. A majority of women battle thyroid problems and struggle in silence. If you have high or low levels of TSH, your doctor might refer you for thyroxine (T4) and/or triiodothyronine (T3) blood tests. So,  HbA1c will be recommended to check the average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last three months. Bone density screening, or DEXA or DXA scan, is a low-dose X-ray that measures calcium and other minerals in the bones.

Complete blood count (for anemia)

The Complete blood count (CBC) gives some important information about the number and types of blood cells in your body, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets. The test helps to diagnose certain health conditions, including infections and anaemia. Everyone should go for yearly health check-ups that include tests like Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, thyroid, HbA1c, bone density screening, and complete blood count.

People with a history of any illness or medical condition should get these tests done every three to six months for better health monitoring. Remember, these tests should not be done only when one is unwell or has any symptoms. They should be done regularly as suggested by the doctor.

Modern labs now make this process easier than ever. Home sample collection, online booking, and quick digital reports mean you no longer need to take a day off work for testing. You can just take the tests as per your comfort and preferred location. Opt for preventive health check-ups and protect the future.

Dr Abhik Banerjee, Zonal Technical, Zone Chief (East) at Apollo Diagnostics, Kolkata