What an annual physical actually finds

People skip the annual visit because they feel fine. That is the point of it. Every condition below is silent in its early stages, and every one of them is easier to treat then.

What gets checked

• Blood pressure. Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, and a large share do not know. It causes no symptoms until it causes a stroke.
• Blood sugar. Prediabetes is reversible. Diabetes, once established, is manageable but permanent. The window between them is where the annual visit earns its keep.
• Cholesterol. No symptoms whatsoever. The first symptom is often a heart attack.
• Kidney function. Chronic kidney disease is silent until a great deal of function is already gone.
• Thyroid. Frequently mistaken for stress, ageing, depression or simply being tired.
• Anaemia. Sometimes the first sign of something that needs investigating.
• Cancer screening appropriate to your age and history — colon, breast, cervical, prostate, lung for smokers.
• Weight, sleep, mood, alcohol. The parts of the conversation people brace for, which nobody here is going to lecture you about.

What an annual visit does not do

It does not catch everything, and it is not a full-body scan. Anyone selling you an annual "executive screening" with a battery of imaging is mostly selling you findings that lead to more tests rather than better health. The evidence-based version is unglamorous: the checks above, matched to your age and risk.

What to bring

Your medication list including anything over-the-counter, what you know of your family history, and — genuinely the most useful thing — a written list of your questions. The important question tends to surface as the patient is reaching for the door handle.