This does not mean, however, that life after 60 cannot still give great satisfaction, for example by traveling, becoming grandparents, having more free time to devote to one's passions, cultivating new hobbies, etc. That's why, even after this age, there are a number of great reasons to continue taking care of your health.
The first good rule to take care of your health is to maintain a healthy and correct lifestyle, or to improve it. The second is to regularly undergo a complete check-up useful for the early diagnosis of any pathologies or conditions connected with advancing age.
In this short article, the attention is paid in particular to the second of the two aforementioned rules: the exams to be done after the age of 60.
);An early diagnosis of diseases with these characteristics allows to slow down the course of the same, to treat them with greater probability of success, to avoid their degeneration into complications, etc .;
At the age of 60 and over, therefore, the attention towards this pathology must necessarily be maximal.
Today, in women over sixty, the strategy adopted to monitor the state of health of the breasts and to identify any anomalies early involves the execution of a breast examination every year, at a breast doctor, and a mammogram every 2 years, up to 69 years, and once a year, starting from the age of 70.
In addition to the justified concerns about breast cancer, there are also those, equally necessary, for cancer of the cervix, a neoplasm that most affects women younger than 60 years, but which can still arise even at this age.
Precisely as a function of a risk still present even after the age of 60, the guidelines of the Ministry of Health recommend adhering, at least up to and including 64 years, to the invitation to undergo the HPV DNA test or the Pap test, two exams specifically designed for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer (generally in women of mature age, HPV DNA test is preferred).
Currently, the check-up for the prevention of prostate cancer is based on a urological examination at regular intervals and on the periodic dosage of PSA, a laboratory test carried out on a blood sample that measures the levels of an enzyme (PSA) produced by prostate.
As can be seen, there are no precise indications regarding the frequency with which to undergo the aforementioned checks; this aspect, in fact, varies from individual to individual and depends on factors such as the presence of suspicious symptoms and / or a family history of prostate cancer.
, and the predisposition for osteoporosis, diabetes and visual and hearing disorders typical of old age.
Furthermore, after the age of 60, fundamental organs such as the kidneys and liver could be affected by the passage of time and a lifestyle that is not always characterized by health and well-being.
Here then, in the periodic check-up aimed at monitoring and controlling the above conditions, the exams that must not be missed and that it is good to carry out at regular intervals are:
- Triglyceridemia and cholesterolemia. They are the measure of the blood levels (ie in the blood) of, respectively, triglycerides and cholesterol. They contribute to deciphering the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, which occupy the first place among the causes of death in Italy
- Blood pressure measurement. It allows to detect blood pressure anomalies; among the latter, pre-hypertension and hypertension are particularly important from a clinical point of view, since, especially the latter, they are associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular risk.
- Cardiological visit and electrocardiogram. They are essential tests for monitoring and controlling heart health.
- Search for occult blood in the stool, rectosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. These are three investigations useful for the early identification of colorectal cancer, the second most common neoplasm among women and the third among men.
Also known as SOF, the search for occult blood in the stool is the first level test for the early detection of colorectal cancer, a test that the Ministry of Health recommends to repeat every 2 years to all people aged between 50 and 69 years old.
Rectosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, on the other hand, are in-depth examinations, which, due to factors such as invasiveness and costs, are used only if strictly necessary. - Rheumatological visit and MOC (computerized bone mineralometry). They allow to establish the state of bone health (in particular resistance to fractures) and to deduce the patient's predisposition to osteoporosis.
- Glycemia. It is the measure of blood glucose levels; it is fundamental in the detection of diabetes mellitus.
- Complete blood count. It is a laboratory test that is used to quantify the number of corpuscular cells in the blood (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).
Essentially, it provides information on the general health of the individual. - Urinalysis. It is an indicator of the state of health of the urinary tract and of the general one.
Furthermore, in people with diabetes, hypertension or with certain liver diseases, it allows to evaluate the treatments adopted for these conditions. - BUN, creatinine and uric acid. They are the measure of the blood levels of, respectively, nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid; are three important indicators of kidney function.
Uricemia also provides information on the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. - Measurement of transaminases and of the gamma GT enzyme (Gamma Glutamyl Transferase). They are two blood markers of hepatic (ie liver) function.
- Visit ophthalmologist. It is used to identify ocular pathologies typical of old age in time, such as presbyopia, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
- Otolaryngology visit and audiometry. They investigate the acoustic abilities of the patient, highlighting a "possible loss of hearing" due to age, and establish whether or not it is appropriate to use a hearing aid (eg: hearing aid, cochlear implant, etc.).
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