Catching chronic health conditions early\u2014even before you have symptoms\u2014seems like a great idea. That\u2019s what screening tests are designed to do. Some screenings can reduce your risk of dying from the disease. But sometimes, experts say, a test may cause more harm than good. Before you get a test, talk with your doctor about the possible benefits and harms to help you decide what\u2019s best for your health.<\/p>\n
Screening tests are given to people who seem healthy to try to find unnoticed problems. They\u2019re done before you have any signs or symptoms of the disease. They come in many forms. Your doctor might take your health history and perform a physical exam to look for signs of health or disease. They can also include lab tests of blood, tissue, or urine samples or imaging procedures that look inside your body.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that all people should just simply get screening tests,\u201d says Dr. Barnett S. Kramer, a cancer prevention expert at NIH. \u201cPatients should be aware of both the potential benefits and the harms when they\u2019re choosing what screening tests to have and how often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teams of experts regularly look at all the evidence about the balance of benefits and harms of different screening tests. They develop guidelines<\/a> for who should be screened and how often.<\/p>\n Choosing whether you should be screened for a health condition isn\u2019t always easy. Screening suggestions are often based on your age, family health history, and other factors. You might be screened for many conditions, including diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, heart disease, osteoporosis, obesity, depression, pregnancy issues, and cancers.<\/p>\n Every screening test comes with its own risks. Some procedures can cause problems like bleeding or infection. A positive screening test can lead to further tests that come with their own risks.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people who feel healthy are healthy,\u201d says Kramer. \u201cSo a negative test to confirm that you\u2019re healthy doesn\u2019t add much new information.\u201d But mistakenly being told that you do or don\u2019t have a disease can be harmful. It\u2019s called a misdiagnosis.<\/p>\n A false negative means that you\u2019re told you don\u2019t have the disease, but you do. This can cause problems if you don\u2019t pay attention to symptoms that appear later on because you think you don\u2019t have the disease. A false positive means that you\u2019re told you may have the disease, but you don\u2019t. This can lead to unnecessary worry and potentially harmful tests and treatments that you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n Even correctly finding a disease may not improve your health or help you live longer. You may learn you have an untreatable disease long before you would have. Or find a disease that never would have caused a problem. This is called overdiagnosis. Some cancers, for example, never cause symptoms or become life-threatening. But if found by a screening test, it\u2019s likely to be treated. Cancer treatments can have harsh and long-lasting side effects. There\u2019s no way to know if the treatment will help you live longer.<\/p>\n An effective screening test may decrease your chances of dying of the condition. Most have not been shown to lengthen your overall life expectancy, Kramer explains. Their usefulness varies and may depend on your risk factors, age, or treatment options.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re at risk for certain health conditions\u2014because of a family history or lifestyle exposures, like smoking\u2014you may choose to have screenings more regularly. If you\u2019re considering a screening, talk with your health care provider.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n