Screening people at low risk for heart disease with a test that detects blocked arteries appears to do more harm than good. Patients found to have evidence of plaque buildup in their arteries after being screened with a test known as a coronary CT angiogram received more medication, follow-up tests and heart procedures than people who hadn’t been screened or those who had a normal test result. Yet more treatment and tests didn’t significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular incidents for these patients after 18 months, researchers reported in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Use of this test in patients without classic symptoms of heart disease can trigger physician behavior which is not actually indicated based on guidelines or evidence.
Bonnie - unnecessary screenings lead to unnecessary medication and further procedures? Unfortunately, this is how our healthcare system works and one of the main reasons why such as huge portion of our GDP goes towards paying for it.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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