Guard Your Health with Screening, and keep Your HEART And BONES Strong

You hear the word "screening" a lot these days. Let’s clarify exactly what it means, then look at two of the ways it can help older folks stay well. In order to find the beginnings of a disease-before it has had time to cause problems or symptoms-screening tests are done. Thus, screening is a preventive action, not a treatment. The philosophy behind screening is that many diseases, such as cancer are more easily treated and possibly cured if they are found early. If healthcare professionals actively look for diseases instead of people waiting until they get sick before they seek help, much suffering, cost and early death could be avoided. This approach applies to people of all ages. But because older people shoulder the greatest burden of preventable illnesses, they need to pay more attention to screening.

Unfortunately, screening guidelines for people older than 65 aren’t always clear. That’s because, until recently, few studies of screening benefits had included older groups. Its important to stay well informed about the value of the various medical screening tests; and to keep in mind that their value for a large group of people may be different from their value for you as an individual. For example, Pap’s Smear hasn’t been found to reduce by much of the incidence of cervical cancer among women age 70 and older. Yet a woman’s personal medical history may call for screening past that age. You and your doctor must discuss these issues and make decisions together. It’s also important to make clear to your doctor your own feelings regarding screening. For example, if you are 90 years old and feel that a particular test may help you make it to 100, don’t let anyone discourage you. Some current expert opinions are presented here regarding screening for heart and blood vessel diseases as well as for osteoporosis. Among the other screening tests that have been developed are those for vision and hearing problems and some cancers, for example, mammography for breast cancer. Your doctor can help you sort out your needs.

Screening for cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases, which affect the heart and the blood vessels, kill more people in the US than any other disease. In terms of prevention, everyone needs to eat a heart-healthy diet, to exercise and not smoke. It’s never too late to start down that healthier road. The American Heart Association further suggests that people have a cardiovascular physical examination and risk factor evaluation by their doctor every 5 years. As for screening, two simple tests are of value.

• Blood Pressure Measurement. Regular blood pressure screening is strongly recommended by the medical organizations that offer guidelines. "Regular" implies every time you visit a doctor or at least every two years. If you are found to have high blood pressure, getting it treated is absolutely vital to reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Statistically speaking, detecting high blood pressure and treating it may extend more elderly lives than just about any other medical measure. Some not-for-profit organizations such as the Ghana Nurses Association of the Mid-West in Chicago, Offer this service free to the community.
• Cholesterol measurement. Guidelines are less clear for cholesterol measurement than for blood pressure measurement. Nonetheless, some studies indicate that high cholesterol levels are a risk factor for heart disease up to about age 85 in men and 75 in women. Although the effect of treating it may be less dramatic than the effect of lowering blood pressure, many experts conclude that reducing levels of cholesterol is probably helpful, because high levels are found in people with heart disease

  Osteoporosis screening

  Although the degree of risk varies, most women past menopause (when estrogen levels are low) are at some risk for osteoporosis. It is a disease in which bones grow less strong and broken bones become more common. But osteoporosis is not limited to women-older men often suffer from it too. A simple bone density screening test ( a type of x-ray) can quickly identify bone loss . If bone loss is found, a person is generally counseled regarding the need for a diet high enough in calcium and vitamin D, exercise and hormone replacement therapy. Drugs may be used to treat osteoporosis. Medicare by the way, now pays for this screening every 2 years.