Annual Body Scans Should Americans Term Paper

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 689 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

In addition, the radiation doses contained in the CT scans can be especially harmful to people suffering from certain types of diseases, such as lung cancer, and they can be especially harmful to children, as well, so they are not recommended annually in these cases. Dr. Dehn continues, "[R]adiation exposure from CT scans should be taken into account, since a whole-body scan will expose the patient to a dose of radiation equivalent to 500 chest x-rays" (Dehn). Thus, annual whole body CT scans could put people at risk of many other problems from radiation, which would far outweigh the benefits of getting a whole body scan each year.

Finally, whole body CT scans can lead to two types of misdiagnosis, "(1) not diagnosing treatable disease that is present and (2) the detection of disease that is not present" (Dehn). This could lead to additional unnecessary tests to verify the diagnosis, and could also lead to additional pain and anguish for a patient who had to undergo additional tests that ultimately were proven unnecessary.

Stuck Writing Your "Annual Body Scans Should Americans" Term Paper?

View All Our Example Annual Body Scans Should Americans Term Paper

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

This could also lead to increased health care costs, on top of the costly whole body scans themselves.

In conclusion, whole body CT scans are an excellent idea for diagnosing overall good health, and early detection of at least some serious diseases. However, at present, they are costly, produce too much radiation, and can lead to false diagnosis. The FDA does not approve of whole body scans for these reasons. It is likely that technology will improve in the future, and whole body CT scans will become more safe and effective. At that time, insurance companies may choose to require these scans for patients as a preventative measure during annual physical exams, but until then, it is not a good idea to use these whole body scans as part of annual exams......

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Annual Body Scans Should Americans" (2008, February 07) Retrieved May 21, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/annual-body-scans-americans-32392

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Annual Body Scans Should Americans" 07 February 2008. Web.21 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/annual-body-scans-americans-32392>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Annual Body Scans Should Americans", 07 February 2008, Accessed.21 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/annual-body-scans-americans-32392
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example