Geriatric Wellness — What Blood Tests To be Regularly Done if You are 60+

As you age, your body starts getting weak and it becomes quite important to do certain medical tests on a regular basis. Regular tests will save you from various health ailments while making the ageing happy and healthy. This is the age when your body requires proper care and you have to become proactive and keep a tab on each and every health and body change.  Here are some blood tests that you should definitely incorporate in your lifestyle if you are 60 or 60+.

• Blood sugar test: Blood sugar test is one of the important tests that should be regularly done to ensure healthy ageing. Blood sugar test generally measures the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. High blood sugar levels can further cause various complications in the body and it is quite imperative to pay heed towards your number. As per doctors, healthy blood sugar levels are “Less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) on a blood sugar test and an HbA1C of less than 5.7%.”If your blood sugar levels are elevated then incorporating some lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, losing weight and indulging in physical activities might help in getting it back to normal.
• Blood pressure test: Blood pressure is also known by the name of the silent disease as it does not show any noticeable symptoms. Blood pressure screening is quite important for older people, even if they don’t have any history of high blood pressure levels. If your blood pressure levels are high, then checking it more frequently is essential as well. As per studies, “64% of men and 69% of women age between 65 and 74 years have high blood pressure.” It can further create heart problems and kidney disorders and hence it’s quite imperative to check blood pressure levels once a year.
• Colorectal cancer screening: Colorectal cancer screening is known as colonoscopy and it tests your colon. The main motive of this test is to check the abnormal growth of tissue which can further cause cancer. Starting from the age of 50, it is important to get the colonoscopy done every 10 years. Colorectal cancer can be treated if it gets identified in the early stage.
• Cholesterol screening: High cholesterol and triglyceride are one of the major problems that are bothering almost half the population of the world. Due to the changes in diet and no or fewer body movements at an older age, the chances of high cholesterol even increase more. High cholesterol levels increase the risk of various heart problems. Therefore, it is quite important to do cholesterol screening every 3 months.
• Bone density scan: As you age, your body starts getting weak and so your bones. Weak bones can lead to various health ailments like osteoporosis, osteopenia, arthritis and hypocalcaemia. Bone density scan helps in examining your bone mass and thereby tells you about the strength of your bones. Various researches said that men and women are both prone to weak bones but there are more chances that women get affected by this.

Footnote

Always keep a check on your numbers as you start getting older. Do these blood tests regularly in order to keep yourself hale and hearty.