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Check your risk

If you are worried about getting cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, or a stroke, it may be a good idea to do one of our quick quizzes and get an estimate of your risk.

After all, if the risk is low, you need not worry about it. And, if you are at a high risk, you can start making the required lifestyle changes to bring your risk down.

  • Heart disease affects around one in three men and one in four women in South Africa. You can significantly cut your risk of developing heart troubles by regular exercise, a healthy diet, and not smoking.
    Assess your heart disease risk.
  • A stroke can strike suddenly and with extremely debilitating, and even fatal, consequences.
    Am I at risk for a stroke?
  • Hypertension is one of the leading causes of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and premature death. As with the other diseases on this list, a few lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.
    Am I at risk for hypertension?
  • If your waistline is ballooning and you can’t remember the last time you exercised, you might want to start taking some precautions against developing diabetes. This condition is growing at an alarming rate as sedentary, fast-food lifestyles become more entrenched.
    Assess your diabetes risk.
  • The average person has a 40% chance of developing cancer in his or her lifetime, according to statistics from the US National Cancer Institute. A family history of cancer may be cause for concern, and things like smoking and sun exposure can also increase your risk.
    Are you at risk for cancer?
  • The agonising joint pain associated with arthritis can be one of the worst things about those golden years. But arthritis doesn’t just strike the elderly.
    Assess your symptoms of arthritis.

Remember that these tests are no substitute for an actual visit to the doctor. If you are at all concerned that you may have any of the above conditions, we strongly advise you to make an appointment with your doctor and get it checked out.

(Susan Erasmus, Health24, updated November 2012)

Read more:
Visit our Tools Centre for more tools, quizzes and calculators.

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