Most serious chronic conditions develop silently — without pain, without symptoms, without warning. By the time you feel something, the damage is often already done. Here are the six we screen for, and why early detection changes everything.
Up to 80% of cardiometabolic risk develops without symptoms.
These aren't rare conditions. They're the everyday risks that quietly damage hearts, kidneys, and brains across the workforce — for years before anyone notices. The good news: every one of them is detectable today, and most are reversible if caught early.
Fat stored deep around the organs — not the kind you see in the mirror.
Visceral fat behaves like an active organ, releasing inflammatory signals that push up blood pressure, raise blood sugar, and disturb cholesterol. It's the upstream driver of most other silent killers.
Key stat
Around 50% of Dutch adults carry excess weight (CBS, 2023).
Early detection
A simple waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body composition check reveals it long before BMI does.
Persistently elevated pressure inside your arteries.
Hypertension causes no day-to-day symptoms, yet silently damages the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. It is the world's leading cause of stroke and a top cause of heart attack.
Key stat
Roughly 1 in 3 adults in the Netherlands has high blood pressure (RIVM).
Early detection
Home-averaged readings over a few mornings give a far more accurate picture than a single in-clinic measurement.
An imbalance in the fats your body uses to build and repair cells.
Excess LDL ('bad') cholesterol slowly clogs arteries for decades without any signal — until a heart attack or stroke is the first symptom.
Key stat
Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death across the EU (ESC, 2023).
Early detection
A finger-prick lipid panel (LDL, HDL, triglycerides) shows the trajectory years before damage is done.
Blood sugar that's higher than healthy, but not yet diabetes.
Pre-diabetes typically has no symptoms, yet it progresses to type 2 diabetes — driving nerve damage, vision loss, kidney failure, and a sharp rise in heart-attack risk.
Key stat
Over 1 million people in the Netherlands live with diabetes; many more are pre-diabetic and unaware (RIVM).
Early detection
An HbA1c finger-prick test reveals 3-month average blood sugar — often years before a diagnosis would be made.
Gradual loss of the kidneys' ability to filter waste from the blood.
Kidneys can lose much of their function before any symptoms appear. Once filter units are destroyed, they don't grow back — making early detection essential.
Key stat
An estimated 1 in 10 adults has some degree of chronic kidney disease (KDIGO).
Early detection
A simple urine ACR test detects kidney stress at the earliest possible stage — before blood markers shift.
Sustained psychological and physiological strain that doesn't reset.
Chronic stress accelerates every other silent killer — raising blood pressure, disrupting sleep, worsening blood sugar, and driving inflammation. Burnout often arrives long after the warning signs were missed.
Key stat
Burnout-related complaints are among the leading causes of long-term sick leave in the Netherlands (TNO/CBS).
Early detection
A validated work-engagement and wellbeing survey surfaces the early signal — before people break down.
Preventa runs on-site screenings that detect all six of these risks in a single appointment — combining biomarker testing, body composition, and a wellbeing survey. Confidential, GDPR-compliant, and built for the workplace.
