What Is Included in an Executive Health Check in Dubai?
Book Consultation
Dr. Felix Lucian Happich
MD, MHBA
In short
Overview
The useful way to read an executive health check is not by what it contains but by what it deliberately leaves out, and whether anyone can explain why.
Direct Answer
What belongs: a calculated cardiovascular risk, blood pressure confirmed properly, age appropriate cancer screening, an alcohol and mood screen, and a vaccination review.
What does not: whole body scans, multi cancer blood tests, ovarian cancer screening at average risk, clinical breast examination, and routine thyroid or vitamin D testing without a risk factor.
Each test should pass three questions before it is ordered, and most of what fills a package fails at least one.
Who This Applies To
Included, by age and sex
| Cardiovascular risk | Every three to five years from 20 |
| Blood pressure | Yearly from 40. Every three to five years from 18 to 39 if normal |
| Colorectal cancer | From 45 at average risk |
| Breast cancer | Discussed from 40, every one to two years by preference |
| Cervical cancer | From 21 to 25, method and interval varying |
| Lung cancer | Annual low dose CT for those at increased risk from smoking history |
| Prostate cancer | A discussion from 50, or 40 to 45 at higher risk. Not an automatic test |
| Hepatitis C | Once, for all adults aged 18 to 79 |
| Diabetes | From 35 to 70 where risk factors are present, using HbA1c |
| Eyes | Periodic comprehensive examination from 40, for glaucoma |
Option Comparison / Decision Criteria
Not a recommended screen. It produces incidental findings that then have to be excluded, each carrying risk
In 6621 adults, a signal appeared in 1.4 per cent, of whom 62 per cent were false positives. Procedures were performed in 30 per cent of those. No study shows they reduce cancer deaths
Not recommended
Not recommended as screening
Reserved for high risk, with expert skin examination
No evidence that finding and treating subclinical hypothyroidism in symptom free adults improves outcomes
Broad population screening is not recommended
Does this condition cause real harm, often enough in someone like you?
Would finding it early lead to a better outcome than finding it later?
Is the test good enough that it will not cause more trouble than it prevents?
Why an In-Person Physician Review Matters
The parts that are done badly most often Blood pressure.
A single rushed clinic reading misleads in both directions. Out of office measurement is recommended to confirm hypertension before treatment starts, and the definition itself depends on how it was measured. Alcohol. Annual screening is recommended for all adults, with a countable question: how many times in the past year have you had five or more drinks in a day, four for women. Mood. Screening is suggested from age 12, and for anxiety from 13 to 64, using validated tools. A positive result leads to proper assessment, not a prescription. In primary care, 60 to 75 per cent of positive depression screens turn out to be something else. Vaccinations. Almost never checked in an executive package, and almost always incomplete. Why harms have to be stated People consistently overestimate the benefits of tests and underestimate the harms. Mammography in particular carries a substantial risk of false positives and overdiagnosis, and the absolute benefit is smaller under 50. Some women, told this, choose not to screen. That is a legitimate decision, and the correct screening rate is less than 100 per cent when people are properly counselled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because it is not a recommended screening test. It finds a great deal that was never going to matter, each finding then needing exclusion with its own risk, and there is no evidence it reduces deaths.
No. It is a discussion from 50, or 40 to 45 at higher risk, and your own preferences about the possible outcomes are the deciding factor. Autopsy studies found prostate cancer in 30 per cent of men in their 50s, most of which would never have become invasive.
Because there is no evidence that finding and treating subclinical hypothyroidism in adults without symptoms improves outcomes. It is tested where you have a risk factor such as goitre, autoimmune disease, family history or a relevant medication.
Vaccination status, an honest alcohol screen, a mood screen with a validated tool, and blood pressure confirmed outside the clinic. All four are cheap and all four are high yield.
Evidence
Where this information comes from
Every figure on this page is taken from the sources below. All of them are free to read, so you can check them yourself.
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction
- Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management
This page is general medical information and does not replace a personal consultation. Trial results are averages across large groups, not a prediction for any one person.