A Guide to Predicting Your Medical Future
Lung cancer: Smokers are at high risk—but even for them, the USPSTF says it's unclear if screening is worthwhile. The most sensitive test, low-dose CT, turns up more false positives than other tests.
Alzheimer's screening: Doctors can use questionnaires to detect Alzheimer's disease before symptoms set in. The tests are simple; one can be administered over the phone, another is known as the seven-minute screen. So why do many still advise against screening everyone for Alzheimer's? Because, says Kramer, even if patients are diagnosed early, there's currently no way to stop the disease (see page 64). Still, early diagnosis may help you make good use of the years you have left. If you have a family history or possible early symptoms—short-term memory loss, increased difficulty with daily tasks—ask your doc for a test. But don't expect one as part of a regular physical.
Guide reported and written by Roxana Popescu and Mary Carmichael
© 2008
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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?