Screening tests for adults
- General health check-up (in German: “Gesundheits-Check-up” or "Check-Up-35"): Here the doctor asks you about your lifestyle, vaccines, and what health problems you and your family have (had). He or she will take your blood pressure, as well as a blood and urine sample. These samples are tested for things like blood lipids (fats in your blood) and sugar. The aim is to detect signs of risk factors and diseases early on – including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease and cancer. You can have this general health check-up once between the ages of 18 and 35. After that, you can have one every three years. If you like, you can also be tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C once after you reach the age of 35.
- Dental check-ups: From the age of 18, you can go to the dentist twice a year to detect any problems with your teeth or gums. You can have plaque and tartar removed from your teeth (scaling) once a year, and periodontitis screening once every two years.
- Skin cancer screening: In skin cancer screening, the doctor examines the entire body to look for changes in the skin. The aim is to detect skin cancer like malignant melanoma as early as possible. You can have this examination every two years from the age of 35 years.
- Test for hidden blood in the stool: This test is done to discover bowel cancer early on. A stool (poo) sample is tested for blood that can't be seen just by looking at it. Known as occult blood, this hidden blood may be a sign of cancer or polyps in the bowel. If blood is detected, the doctor will advise you to have an examination to take a look at the inside of your bowel (a colonoscopy) and find out where the blood is coming from. All 50 to 54-year-olds who have statutory health insurance in Germany can have this kind of stool test once a year. From the age of 55 you can have one every two years, unless you decide to have a colonoscopy instead.
- Colonoscopy: This examination is done to discover bowel cancer early on and prevent it from developing in the first place. You can have a total of two colonoscopies – with at least ten years between them – from the age of 50 if you're a man, and from the age of 55 if you're a woman. If you decide to have a colonoscopy, there's no need to have a stool test to look for hidden blood over the following ten years.