Preventative Screening Specialist

What is preventive screening?

Preventive screening is an invaluable way of keeping you healthy and avoiding some of the most serious, life-threatening medical conditions.

It makes a great deal of sense to use screening rather than waiting until you start experiencing symptoms. In the case of colorectal cancer, for example, screening for polyps that have the potential to become malignant growths drastically reduces the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

On the other hand, if you wait until colorectal cancer is causing symptoms, the tumor could be so large it’s difficult to remove without losing some of your colon, rectum, anus, or even all three. It could also spread to other organs if not picked up soon enough, and at this stage, your chances of survival become significantly lower.

Colorectal cancer is still a leading cause of death in the United States, so by undergoing a simple colonoscopy procedure at intervals recommended by the team at Passaic Medical & Wellness, you could save your life.

What conditions use preventive screening tests?

There are now many conditions for which you can have a preventive screening test. As well as colorectal cancer, the team at Passaic Medical & Wellness carries out screening tests for:

• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Drug abuse
• Kidney disease
• Liver function
• Prostate disease
• Tuberculosis
• Thyroid disease

These are all conditions that can cause severe and unpleasant symptoms or could cost you your life if undetected or untreated.

What kinds of tests does preventive screening use?

There are many ways in which the team at Passaic Medical & Wellness can test for signs of the early stages of disease. One of the simplest is the blood pressure test, which is one you’ve probably had before.

Your provider uses an inflatable cuff around your arm to see whether the blood in your arteries is under a healthy level of pressure. It’s a simple test that only takes a few minutes. If your blood pressure is too high, you risk suffering a heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure, so having a regular blood pressure test is vital.

Other types of screening tests include:

Blood tests and urinalysis

Blood and urine can tell your provider at Passaic Medical & Wellness a great deal about your health. In terms of screening, they can check your heart health with a cardiac lipid profile, measure your cholesterol levels, see if you have raised blood sugar that would indicate diabetes, check for drugs, examine liver and kidney function, check your prostate health through PSA, and measure the levels of hormones in your body.

Skin tests and cell samples

There are several different ways that other tissues help with preventive screening. For instance, the test for tuberculosis, which is called a PPD test, involves having an injection to see if your body reacts, indicating the TB bacteria is present. Cervical cell samples taken during a Pap smear can detect early changes in the cells that are the first sign of cervical cancer, and cell samples are also used to screen for certain STDs.

Screening tests are a critical but straightforward way of safeguarding your health. See what screening tests you need by calling Passaic Medical & Wellness today, or book an appointment online.