Alison Ruff, a primary care physician and clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, believes it’s essential.
“The truth is: things really happen. If you get sick, you can have someone look at it,” she said. She said, “Having a relationship with your family doctor allows you to call when you need someone, even if you never thought you’d ever need them.”
Richard Chan, a specialist in adolescent and young adult medicine at Duke Health, agrees. “Many health problems may not be obvious to the person, especially in this early adulthood … but they affect health not only today, but well into the distant future,” he said. says Chung. “And getting a checkup is a great time to make sure these problems didn’t start with one particular young person.”
A variety of chronic conditions can begin to develop in your 20s (or earlier) and can be harmful in the long term if left untreated.
for example, 1/5 or more Eight adults between the ages of 18 and 39 in the United States have high blood pressure. It may not cause problems in the short term, but if left untreated, it can lead to other serious conditions later in life, such as heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Your doctor can easily screen you for high blood pressure during your visit and recommend lifestyle changes and medications if necessary.
Similarly, almost a quarter Between 18 and 44 adults have prediabetes, which commonly progresses to true diabetes if left untreated. Fortunately, as with high blood pressure, prompt recognition and lifestyle changes can prevent downstream effects. may become.
These are just a few of the reasons why young adults should see a doctor at least every few years.
If you find yourself going to the doctor for the first time after seeing a pediatrician, here’s what you can expect:
Regular checkups are fairly standard. That means you know what to expect in general. As soon as you check in to your reservation, you can expect to fill out a screening test. For example, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire about the signs and symptoms of depression. A medical assistant then takes your pulse, blood pressure, and temperature, and measures your height and weight.
Once the doctor enters the office, the visit usually begins by getting to know you and addressing any specific concerns you may have. If one of your loved ones has come to your office to ask you to take care of something or have someone look at their mole, or if you have a lot of anxiety or are not interested, If we have. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it first and get it out of our minds to prevent pregnancy,” Raf said.
You should also be ready to talk about your medical history. “What’s their medical history?” Chong said. “What illnesses have they been diagnosed with in the past? What injuries or procedures or other aspects of their health history? Should they know about? If they’re taking any medications or over-the-counter medications, it’s all relevant, so you have the full context to evaluate and make recommendations for the day.”
Knowing your family’s health is equally important. “So does everyone in your family have heart disease, or is it common to get certain types of cancer early on? And we’ll talk about what we can do to prevent it,” says Ruff. said.
Finally, the doctor will ask about your “social history.” During this part of the visit, your doctor will ask you about behaviors that contribute to your health.
“It’s really important that young people know that we’re doing this on every visit…we need to really understand their overall health habits,” said Ruff. “So do you smoke? Do you smoke e-cigarettes? What does your relationship with alcohol look like? And it’s important that people know: Alcohol It’s okay to have a relationship with someone, it’s okay to have an active sex life. …We want to make sure you are doing these things and participating in these actions as safely as possible. thinking about.”
After completing the medical history, a thorough physical examination is performed from head to toe. The goal, Chung said, is to “make sure there aren’t any of these signs of potential health problems.”
Near the end of your visit, your doctor will work with you to determine your next steps.
“Health care providers make recommendations about what they will need that day to keep the young person healthy, whether that means updating immunizations, taking specific screening tests, or doing health behaviors and other things. It may be possible to make recommendations regarding
Although many screening tests are not recommended until later in life, there are still some recommended tests for young adults.
Cervical cancer patients in their 20s should have a Pap smear every 3 years, although the intervals may be shorter if there have been abnormal results in the past. While sexually active people can expect regular screening for STDs, many of which may be asymptomatic, everyone should be screened for HIV at least once in their life and Screening for hepatitis C is often recommended as well.
Depending on your risk factors, your doctor may recommend other blood tests to check for disorders such as diabetes and high cholesterol.
It’s never too late to catch up on vaccinations you may have missed, such as a vaccine against the human papillomavirus, but you can expect fewer vaccines than you did when you were a child.
You will also need a tetanus booster every 10 years. We strongly recommend that you get the flu vaccine every year. Of course, your doctor will ask if you have received the full recommended dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Depending on your condition, your doctor may recommend other vaccines or screening tests.
Ruff stressed the importance of annual checkups for young people as well. And I think having that relationship is very important. ”
Netana Markovitz is a Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School in Boston.
