Dr. McGregor, a lung specialist and internist at New York Presbyterian Hospital, has been practicing medicine for many years. Here he talks about who should get checked for high blood pressure, diabetes and HIV.
Q: Many people have high blood pressure and don't even know it. Any recommendations for who should get checked?
A: There are probably three diseases that you can walk around with and feel well enough to not know how much trouble you're in. These are: high blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV. Ignorance is not bliss in these situations. You should know what the risks are for these diseases, and get yourself checked if you have one or more of these risks.
If you have family members who have high blood pressure or diabetes, there's a good chance that you have it too, so you should get tested. It's up to you to get tested for this so you don't show up in the emergency room with a heart attack or a stroke and say, "What happened?"
If you know that you have been having unsafe sex, you can be at risk for HIV and Hepatitis C. It is your responsibility to get checked. These things are not a death sentence. Look at Magic Johnson, who has been living with AIDS for almost 20 years. I've known people who have had AIDS for 25 years and you would never know it.
People need to be more informed about the simple risks for these diseases.