A Guide to Predicting Your Medical Future
35 to 49 Years Old
In your 30s and 40s, lifestyle choices start to catch up with you. Serious conditions may begin to surface. Tests can flag some of them while there
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s still plenty of time for treatment.
WOMEN
Mammogram: According to a 2007 study by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the number of women older than 40 getting mammograms every year or two is dropping. That may be bad news. Women at low risk for developing breast cancer should start annual or biennial mammograms at 40. Most health-insurance policies offer at least partial coverage. Those at higher risk—based on family history, weight, use of cigarettes or alcohol, early puberty or exposure to radiation —should start earlier, says the National Cancer Institute. Some groups recommend a baseline mammogram at 35.
Thyroid screening: Hypothyroidism causes few symptoms early on, but it can lead to obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease. Women over 35 should get checked every five years, says the American Thyroid Association. (It's not a universal recommendation: the USPSTF says the evidence for screening is inconclusive.) Since hypothyroidism is most common in midlife, catching it earlier than that will make it easier to manage, Lausier says. Women who want to get pregnant should also get tested, since a mother's thyroid problems can affect her fetus.
EVERYONE
Blood pressure and BMI: From the age of 50, says Snow, doctors start screening for diseases in healthy people with no risk factors purely for the sake of prevention. Before that, testing should be much more selective. "Screening in general tends to be based either on age or risk factors," Snow says. At 34 to 49, age isn't the more important indicator. "Almost everything at this stage is going to be risk based. You have to have triggers," she says. That doesn't include height, weight and blood-pressure checks, however, which should be administered regardless of how healthy you are. Keep monitoring levels every one to two years. Rates of coronary artery disease have increased slightly for women in this age group, while men's rates have continued to drop, according to a recently published study, so everyone—not just men—should be vigilant about screening.
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Member Comments
Posted By: Bullsfan @ 01/30/2008 10:09:19 AM
Comment: Oh, and let's put eating disorders vs obesity into perspective. Roughly 7 million people have eating disorders in the US. In contrast, 25% of AMericans are obese. That's 75 MILLION people. Which do YOU think is the bigger heath risk.?
Posted By: njdocisin @ 01/27/2008 3:59:47 AM
Comment: The article also left out skin cancer screenings. People 20-40 should have a clinical skin exam at least every 3 years, people 40+ should have one annually, and all people over the age of 20 should be doing montly self-exams. Kind of a big oversight IMO.
Posted By: Ivhie @ 01/21/2008 7:52:51 PM
Comment: Coronary heart/artery disease is not ONLY a genetic disease. It is a well-known fact that many things can contribute to the health of your blood vessels and heart. Coronary artery disease comes about when plaque forms and builds on the arteries. Although people with genetic predisposition can often build the plaque more quickly, genes are not the only factor. Diet, exercise, and a whole host of other factors also play a role. I'm not sure why hamidbak is so sure that CAD and gum disease are not related, but researchers (yes many researchers, and yes they did medical research studies) have found that people with periodontal disease are almost two times as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease. Whether it is a direct cause-and-effect is not certain, but I think that results like that would make me want to brush my teeth and get my cavities taken care of. How about you?