ASOURCE Navi

This is the time when the new fiscal year is approaching, and health checkups are the most common. So, let's summarize the history of medical examinations and the progress of examination equipment.

Health checkups in Japan are said to have started in 1911 under the Factory Law, with the main purpose of preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and dysentery, which were problems at the time. After that, the Labor Standards Law was enacted in 1947, and the Industrial Safety and Health Law was enacted in 1972, obliging employers to conduct health examinations for workers. When the Industrial Safety and Health Law was enacted, examination items were limited to height, weight, eyesight, hearing, chest X-ray, blood pressure, and urinalysis. Inspection added. In addition, HDL cholesterol and blood sugar tests were added in 1998, and waist circumference and LDL cholesterol were added in 2007. In recent years, items closely related to lifestyle-related diseases have been added. Items have changed. Today, the purpose of health checkups is to discover latent diseases before subjective symptoms appear, to check whether there is a risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases in the future, and to take appropriate action afterward. It is to lead to transformation and early treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo regular medical examinations every year.

Innovative advances have also been made in testing equipment and diagnostic technology. A major advance in diagnostic imaging is CT (computed tomography), which is performed when an X-ray is suspected of being abnormal. In a chest X-ray, the heart, internal organs, and bones appear white, and even if there is inflammation or a tumor in the lungs, lesions appear white. On the other hand, CT scans a cross-section of the body, so the location and shape of the lesion can be clearly seen, enabling accurate diagnosis. By superimposing sliced images, it is now possible to create a three-dimensional image. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) has also made it possible to detect hidden cerebral infarctions that do not show symptoms. Covered cerebral infarction is a disease in which thin blood vessels in the brain become blocked, and the risk of future stroke (cerebral infarction/cerebral hemorrhage) is high, so early detection is of great significance.

Furthermore, the digitization of imaging examinations such as X-ray examinations, CT examinations, and endoscopy examinations has become possible as one of the advances in diagnostic imaging. It is said that digitization has made the images sharper and improved the accuracy of diagnosis. In the past, X-ray film was the mainstream, and in addition to the time and effort required to develop it and store a huge number of files, it was also difficult to find, but now it is possible to instantly view image data of different types and times.

The progress of endoscopy was also remarkable. It has become more compact, and a thin tube with an outer diameter of about 5 mm has been developed, making it possible to undergo examinations without having to suffer as much as before. Not only has the size been reduced, but the tube has also become more flexible, making it possible to use the endoscope not only through the mouth but also through the nose for examinations. This method is designed to reduce nausea and discomfort. Furthermore, in recent years, devices equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) have appeared, and high-precision cancer diagnosis is expected as a technology that reduces the diagnostic burden on doctors and realizes uniformity in endoscopic medical care.

endoscopy

The drugs used in diagnostic imaging tests have also evolved. One of the depressing examinations in medical examinations is the examination using barium. It seems that there are many people who do not like the taste of barium and how it passes down their throats, and they may feel sick while drinking it, or it may take a long time to finish drinking it. About 20 years ago, you had to drink 400-500 mL, but now it's about 150 mL, about one-third. This has made it possible to shorten inspection times and reduce radiation exposure. There are about 20 different flavors, including strawberry, banana, yogurt, mixed juice, and coffee. Furthermore, in recent years, attempts have been made to increase the concentration of barium and reduce the amount taken in order to reduce the burden on patients as much as possible.