Internal medicine

Men ages 65–75 should have an ultrasound screening of your abdomen if: 

• You smoke or used to smoke 
• Have a parent, sibling or child who had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. (This is a bulging of the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the lower parts of the body). 

• Influenza (flu) vaccination every year
• Td (tetanus/diphtheria) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) every 10 years. (Ask your doctor which vaccine is right for you.) Pregnant women should get a dose of Tdap during every pregnancy.
• Shingles vaccine for women and men 60 years and older
• Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for women and men 65 years and older. There are two kinds of pneumococcal vaccination — pneumococcal conjugate and pneumococcal polysaccharide — that should be given one year apart. People age 19‒64 years old should get the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine if they:
  • Smoke cigarettes, or 
  • Have medical problems that raise their chances of getting certain diseases 
• HPV vaccine is recommended for women ages 18‒26 and men ages 18‒21 years (if not completed when younger).
• Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for people ages 19‒59 with diabetes type 2 (if not completed when younger).

Be sure to ask your doctor about what’s right for you.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that you have your blood pressure checked every three to five years if you:

• Are between 18–39 years, and 
• Have a blood pressure less than 130 over 85, and 
• Have no other risk factors (for example, obese or overweight, African American) 

Have your blood pressure checked every year if you:

• Are age 40 years and older, or 
• Have blood pressure greater than 130 over 85 
• Have medical problems that raise your chances of having high blood pressure

Women 50–74 years should have a screening mammogram every two years. 

All women ages 21–29 years should have a Pap smear every three years. Women ages 30–64 years should have a Pap smear with HPV screening every five years.

All men and women ages 40–75 years should have their total cholesterol, HDL and LDL checked every five years. 

Men and women ages 20–40 should have their cholesterol checked if they:

• Have high blood pressure
• Have diabetes 
• Are obese (are very overweight)
• Have coronary artery disease (blocked blood vessels)
• Have a family member with coronary artery disease
• Use tobacco 

Get screened for colon cancer starting at age 50 and keep getting screened until age 75. 

Osteoporosis affects millions of older adults. It causes their bones to become fragile and more likely to break. You should be screened using a DEXA scan if you are a:

• Woman age 65 years and older 
• Younger woman with higher chance of bone fracture  

Adults ages 18–64 should be tested once for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). People who have HIV may have no symptoms of their infection at first. But you will become very ill if you don’t get care.

You can live well with HIV if you get the right care. And you can help keep it from spreading to others. Getting an HIV blood test is the only way to know if you have HIV. 

People born between 1945 and 1965 should be tested one time for Hepatitis C. Three out of every four people with Hepatitis C were born between these years.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus. Many people with Hepatitis C don’t know that they have it. And you can have it for many years before you have symptoms. 

All people who use tobacco products should quit.

Every year:

• Have your blood pressure checked. (Goal: less than 140/90)
• Check your cholesterol.
• See your doctor.

Every six months:

• Check your A1c. (Goal: less than 7.0 for most people)

Every year, have these tests:

• Cholesterol
• Urine test to check for protein
• Dilated eye exam to check for blood vessel changes due to diabetes
• Blood pressure check (Goal: less than 140/90)
• Foot exam by your doctor

Every two years:

• Diabetes education 

Once:

• Get a Hepatitis B vaccine series for men and women 19–59 years (if not already completed).

See your doctor once a year and have your blood pressure checked. 

Blood pressure goals:

• All men and women with diabetes or kidney disease: less than 140/90
• All men and women up to age 60: less than 140/90
• Anyone 60 years and older (without diabetes or kidney disease): less than 150/90

Have your cholesterol tested if you:

• Are obese (very overweight)
• Have a family member with heart disease