Regular health check-ups – an important solution to prevent diabetes

Diabetes is becoming one of the most common and rapidly increasing chronic diseases in Vietnam, posing many challenges to the healthcare system and public health. The disease progresses silently, in many cases there are no symptoms until serious complications such as kidney failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, blindness or nerve damage occur. Therefore, regular health check-ups are considered an important solution to detect early, intervene promptly and effectively control this disease.

According to statistics published by health agencies, a large number of people with diabetes in Vietnam have not been diagnosed, meaning they have the disease but do not know it. This is the reason why many cases are only detected at a late stage, when blood sugar levels are high for a long time and cause damage to many organs in the body. In fact, most patients come to the hospital when complications such as foot ulcers, visual disturbances, kidney failure or high blood pressure appear.

According to local health authorities, many people who were previously completely healthy were found to have high blood sugar or pre-diabetes after testing. This shows that regular health check-ups play an extremely important role in detecting diseases at an early stage.

According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health , adults – especially high-risk groups such as those who are overweight, obese, sedentary, have relatives with diabetes or women who have had gestational diabetes – should check their blood sugar and HbA1c test at least once a year. Regular check-ups not only help assess blood sugar but also help control related factors such as blood lipids, blood pressure, kidney function – indicators that are closely related to diabetes.

Early detection helps patients adjust their lifestyle in time, change their diet, lose weight, increase exercise or start treatment as directed by their doctor. Many studies show that in the pre-diabetic stage, if properly intervened with a reasonable diet and exercise regimen, patients can prevent progression to type 2 diabetes. This not only helps protect health but also significantly reduces future treatment costs.

In addition to personal benefits, regular health check-ups also contribute to reducing the burden of disease on the health system. Diabetes and related complications are currently one of the causes of the highest treatment costs for chronic diseases. When the disease is detected late, the patient must undergo long-term, expensive treatment and is likely to become disabled or lose the ability to work. Therefore, early screening is the most effective way to proactively protect health and reduce medical costs for families and society.

In the context of the continuous increase in the number of diabetes cases in Vietnam and the high rate of people who have not been diagnosed with the disease, each individual needs to raise awareness of regular health check-ups. Do not wait until symptoms such as frequent thirst, frequent urination, rapid weight loss, prolonged fatigue or slow healing of wounds appear before going to the doctor, because by then the disease may have become serious.

Taking the initiative to have regular health check-ups is not only a good habit but also an effective "protective shield" against dangerous chronic diseases that can be completely controlled if detected at the right time.

Source: https://soyte.camau.gov.vn/bai-khoa-hoc-chinh-tri-va-xa-hoi/kham-suc-khoe-thuong-xuyen-giai-phap-quan-trong-de-phong-ngua-dai-thao-duong-291599