Generally, yes; for example, routine colonoscopies are not practiced in many developed countries, and it doesn't necessarily translate into any difference in overall health outcomes. One recent study is described here:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/09/health/colonoscopy-cancer-dea... . One explanation is that such cancers are slow-growing and tend to be discovered late in life, so treating them doesn't actually help much, and any benefits are offset by potential harms of the procedure itself, the risk of false positives, etc.
Similarly, while hypertension is a problem, there is scant evidence that routine treatment of it is beneficial. The drugs have health risks: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...
There is value in targeted screening and education, but annual checkups for otherwise healthy people aren't necessarily the way to do it. Not to mention, many of these checkups are perfunctory.
A lot of the gains in life expectancy have little to do with advanced diagnostics and treatments. Sanitation, hygiene, antibiotics, and increased standards of living do a lot of the heavy lifting here. And when the needle moves in the other direction, the causes tend to be mundane too - e.g., opioid abuse in the US.
Similarly, while hypertension is a problem, there is scant evidence that routine treatment of it is beneficial. The drugs have health risks: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...
There is value in targeted screening and education, but annual checkups for otherwise healthy people aren't necessarily the way to do it. Not to mention, many of these checkups are perfunctory.
A lot of the gains in life expectancy have little to do with advanced diagnostics and treatments. Sanitation, hygiene, antibiotics, and increased standards of living do a lot of the heavy lifting here. And when the needle moves in the other direction, the causes tend to be mundane too - e.g., opioid abuse in the US.