Dr. Peter Barquette
We all want health; we toast him too. But how do we know what to do to maintain that health? Some things seem obvious, such as proper nutrition, quality sleep, and regular exercise. At other times, we are tempted to throw our hands up in front of technical information and say, “I just don’t know.” This is the case with three screening tests that most patients are unaware of. But learning about them can change your life.
Often, early detection of a health problem has the potential to prevent, address, or better manage it. Health screening can detect problems even if you don’t have symptoms, so it’s important to stay healthy, especially if you have risks. Continue your training and talk to your healthcare provider if you think you are a candidate for these tests.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Did you fill the balloons with water on a hot summer day? Did you accidentally overfill one of them? In this case, you inadvertently showed the physical law of LaPlast, then the voltage on the wall of the curved structure is proportional to the radius of pressure. As the balloon grows, the tension of the rubber increases exponentially until it explodes.
This phenomenon does no harm when it comes to balloons, but it is the same principle that governs the tension in our veins. The largest artery in the body, the aorta, is particularly vulnerable. When smoking weakens with age and high blood pressure, the aorta expands over time and then increases the risk of rupture. Since most of the blood in the body passes through the aorta, the patient’s bleeding stops so quickly that there is little time left for intervention.
Fortunately, we can know in advance who is at risk for this condition, and we can check whether it exists. Ultrasound and CT can easily determine the diameter of the abdominal aorta and detect changes over time when it is abnormal. We can detect these changes early by planning procedures to correct this size or aneurysm. This is an important part of any good screening test of lead time.
Who is he for? The United States Preventive Services Precision Group (USPSTF) recommends a one-time ultrasound examination of the abdominal aortic aneurysm in men between the ages of 65 and 75 who smoke. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association support a similar proposal.
Hepatitis C virus
Widely known in the 1960s and 1970s for its clothing and music. However, among health professionals, we also remember the time when the hepatitis C virus (HCV) appeared. Before we knew it existed, the virus began to spread among the population. Now it has been revived through health care. We learned that HCV stays in the body and attacks the liver, causing scarring and even liver cancer.
For many years, our ability to treat HCV was limited. Medication cocktails were difficult to tolerate and often did not work. For many patients, the best thing we can hope for is careful monitoring for early detection of cancer. Then, in the 2000s, advances in research and development led to several new treatment options that were much better accepted by patients and were more effective in clearing HCV.
New treatment options have emerged and there has been an increase in HCV in patients outside the baby boomer generation, and the medical community has scrutinized screening recommendations. Improved health outcomes associated with screening and testing were sufficient to expand screening recommendations for routine testing; Once upon a time for some, but often for those at risk.
Who is he for? The USPSTF recommends a single screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in all adults between the ages of 18 and 79, and periodic follow-up screening of patients at high risk for HCV infection.
lung cancer screening
How are the Beatles and lung cancer screening related? Godfrey Houndsfield, a recording company for the Beatles, developed computed tomography (CT) scanning technology. It is clear that more British tax dollars were spent on the project than the revenue from the Beatles albums, but the CT scanner changed the real game in medicine.
For decades, medical professionals have tried to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage with simple X-rays. Every major study has been ineffective. Then, when CT technology became advanced enough and epidemiologists knew who was at the highest risk, the lung cancer screening code was finally broken.
In low-dose lung cancer, CT scans can help detect abnormal areas in the lungs early and allow treatment to begin before it spreads.
Who is he for? The USPSTF offers an annual screening for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of lung cancer to people between the ages of 50 and 80 with a 20-year annual smoking history and who have continued or quit smoking in the past 15 years.
Go to the screen
There is a saying, “Ignorance is good,” but when it comes to health, the consequences of ignorance are real. Health screening works to identify conditions or their early signs, and can often save lives, with a good time to intervene in treatment.
For example, the USPSTF offers colorectal cancer screening for adults between the ages of 45 and 75, which saves lives every year. Most people (without colon polyps or other problems) can take the FIT test at home. If FIT tests detect a small amount of blood, they may need a colonoscopy to detect polyps or cancer early. If a polyp is found, it is usually removed to prevent cancer.
Continuing your daily screening and asking your provider about screenings that may be appropriate for your risk and age are relatively small steps that can have a big impact on your health.
Peter Barquette, MD, uses internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente Silverdale. He lives in Bremerton.