Monday, November 8, 2010

5 Essential Screening Tests Every Woman Should Have

Nowadays women are quite alert about the kind of diseases they can get. They are now getting some tests done to prevent diseases. Any late detection can cause death and serious implications.


Cholesterol is a factor which has been perturbing women for many years. Women who have higher levels of bad cholesterol in their diets can get heart disease. So, the incidence of this disease can be found by doing a lipid profile.


Even women are quite prone to type 2 diabetes. This disease happens in obese women. In fact, the blood glucose can be measured after two hours have elapsed since breakfast had been consumed. Now, the vulnerability to this disease decides the frequency of the tests. Frequency of the tests can be as high as 2 years after the age of 45 if the woman is fit. But, this frequency can be higher when the woman is not fit and has disease running in the family.

Osteoporosis is an ailment that affects a large number of women. This ailment makes the bones of a woman quite weak. It happens due to bone loss. This bone loss happens in any woman after the occurrence of menopause. So, the right test which can help in the detection of this ailment is Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. When the ailment osteoporosis is detected, it can help in avoiding any kind of bone fractures caused due to it. I fact, all kinds of women whose ages are more than 65 years, should opt for this test. This test should also be done by women who are not 65 yet if they have such disease in the family.

Colorectal cancer can also happen in a woman. So, colonoscopy can be done to find the occurrence of this ailment. This ailment can be detected by using both the camera and a tube which is poked inside the rectum. The screening tests for this ailment can be done after a woman has turned 50 years old. Another kind of test which can be used to reveal this ailment is sigmoidoscopy which only involves checking the downwards colon section.

Glaucoma can also have serious affects for women. This ailment can also cause blindness when optic nerve is completely destroyed. People who are more than 50 years old can get this disease. It can also happen when there is a legacy of this disease. Even consumption of steroids can cause it. It's important that women who are fit should have done the tests after every two years. For people, who are between 40 to 54 years of age should have the tests conducted after one or 3 years. The frequency of tests can be more when the age of the woman is between fifty five to 64. The frequency can be as high as 6 months to 1 year for women who are aged more than 65.

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