Annual Checkups

Annual checkups ensure your doctor identifies health problems before they become a serious issue. Kashif Siddiqui, MD, and Sumera Muzaffar, MD, at Broadway Family Clinic in Pearland, Texas, have extensive experience performing annual checkups for patients of all ages. They assess multiple health indicators and recommend preventive actions you can take to avoid health problems in the future. Call Broadway Family Clinic to request your annual checkup or schedule a consultation online today.

What are annual checkups?

Annual checkups are vital preventive medicine services that enable Broadway Family Clinic to reduce your disease risks and identify health problems before you develop symptoms. 

Treating common disorders like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hormonal conditions early prevents them from worsening and can often reverse their effects. Waiting until symptoms develop before visiting your primary care doctor allows diseases to cause irreversible damage. 

In addition, conditions like high cholesterol and high blood pressure don’t cause symptoms even when advanced. You wouldn’t know you had them until you suffered a life-threatening stroke or heart attack unless you have an annual checkup.

What happens at my annual checkup?

Annual checkups vary in their specifics because each is tailored to the individual patient. However, the basic format is similar for everyone. Your provider asks about your health and looks through your medical history. Then, they complete a physical exam, beginning with the following general health indicators:

• Temperature
• Respiration (breathing) rate
• Heart rate 
• Blood pressure
• Blood oxygen levels
• Heart and lung sounds
• Reflexes

Your provider examines various body parts, including the joints, skin, eyes, ears, throat, feet, and abdomen, for abnormalities like pain, swelling, lumps, and lesions. They look at other aspects of your health, like your freedom of movement and balance, and evaluate your mental wellness.

Will my annual checkup involve any tests?

Annual checkups usually include various tests. Common ones include blood tests like complete blood counts and comprehensive metabolic panels. These tests offer valuable information about your general health, such as organ function and blood quality. Blood tests also screen for high cholesterol, infections, nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, diabetes, and more.

Cancer screenings can detect the earliest stages of the disease long before you experience symptoms. Common cancer screenings include Pap smears for cervical cancer, mammograms for breast cancer, prostate exams, and stool sample tests for colorectal cancer.

What happens after my annual checkup?

Following each annual checkup, your Broadway Family Clinic provider prepares a health assessment and treatment plan based on their findings. This might include general health improvement and risk reduction strategies, common ones being:

• Weight loss
• Exercising regularly
• Dietary changes
• Better sleep hygiene
• Quitting smoking and alcohol

Your provider orders more tests or recommends specialist care where necessary if lab results or other procedures identify any problems.

Call Broadway Family Clinic to arrange an annual checkup or book an appointment online today.