Prevention & Screening
Prevention
Regular exercise, a balanced diet, no tobacco, and no excessive alcohol use comprise the mainstay of illness prevention.
No matter how healthy your lifestyle is, however, what you inherit from your parents may predispose you to certain conditions.
Screening
Doctors can detect a number of medical conditions in their early, treatable stages by doing screening tests. Some of these tests we will do as part of your annual check-up; some of these tests are more involved and require an appointment with a specialist.
You may need to have the following screening tests done earlier or more frequently than noted below if that condition is common or has occurred at unusually young ages in your family.
|
Condition |
How we screen for it |
|
Hypertension |
Blood pressure measured at every visit |
|
High cholesterol |
Blood test done while fasting |
|
Diabetes |
Blood test done while fasting |
|
Osteoporosis |
Bone density scan, usually after age 65 |
|
Breast cancer |
Breast exam at annual check-up |
|
Cervical cancer |
Pap smear every 1-3 years by gynecologist |
|
Colon cancer |
Colonoscopy after age 50 |
|
Prostate cancer |
Consider PSA blood test and prostate exam after age 50 |
|
Skin cancer |
Skin exam at annual check-up |
|
Several conditions are not common enough to screen for in everyone but should be screened for in people or families at high risk: |
|
|
Abdominal aortic aneurysm |
Ultrasound in men aged 65-75 who have ever smoked |
|
Lung cancer |
CT scan of lungs after age 50 if you have a history of heavy smoking; experts differ on the usefulness of this test. We will discuss if it is right for you. |
|
Genetic testing for certain conditions like familial cancer syndromes is another type of screening that is indicated for some people. |
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