Health Screening

Diagnosing and treating diseases early is far better than waiting until you have disabling symptoms. N’Dama Bamba, MD, MPH, at Dr. Bamba’s Health and Medical Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland, offers various health screenings to identify life-threatening conditions. By attending screenings, you could avoid problems like heart attacks and strokes and catch cancer at an early, more easily treatable stage. Call Dr. Bamba’s Health and Medical Center to learn more, or schedule your next health screening online today.

What is a health screening?

Health screening procedures seek to identify various medical conditions early in their development. They can pick up signs of problems when conditions are far easier to treat — long before you develop symptoms.

Many health screenings occur at your annual physical, a routine check where Dr. Bamba performs a physical exam, checks your medical history, and assesses your risk of certain long-term disorders. However, you can undergo screening outside your yearly checkup.

What health screenings might I need?

Common health screenings include:

Cholesterol test

Cholesterol is a significant risk factor for strokes and heart attacks. It builds up in your arteries, restricting blood flow but causing no symptoms until there’s a blockage.

Diabetes test

Diabetes occurs when blood sugar rises too high. Screening your blood for high sugar levels detects raised blood sugar (prediabetes) before it causes irreversible harm.

Cancer tests

It’s not possible to screen for all cancers. However, cervical, colorectal, breast, prostate, and other cancers have well-established screening programs. Each has specific recommendations for the age you should start screenings and how often you should have them. You may need more frequent cancer screening if your risk factors are high.

Blood pressure check

Blood pressure, like cholesterol levels, can rise dangerously high without causing symptoms. Excessive blood pressure (hypertension) is a common cause of strokes, aneurysms, and heart attacks.

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening

Some STDs cause symptoms, but many don’t. STD screening identifies infections and prevents complications like infertility.

Obesity screening

Excess body weight is the root of many common, life-threatening conditions. The more weight you carry above what’s healthy for your size, the more likely you are to develop problems like heart disease, diabetes, and many other conditions.

What do screening tests involve?

Health screenings take many forms. Some use blood, and others involve a physical exam. Obesity screening compares height and weight to produce a body mass index (BMI) number. This shows if your weight is healthy or excessive.

Blood pressure measurement involves having an inflatable cuff around your arm that records pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and between beats. Cervical cancer requires a swab of cells from your cervix.

Call Dr. Bamba’s Health and Medical Center or book an appointment online today to learn more about these and other life-saving health screening procedures.