CT scans - patients underestimate risk of cancer and radiation

[Guest guest]

Survey shows that patients underestimate the radiation from CT scans and the

risk of cancers. " The point of the paper was not to create mass hysteria, " said

Dr. Brigitte Baumann, an emergency physician at University Hospital.

Question 1: Will getting two or three CT scans of the abdomen expose a person to

the same amount of radiation as people who lived near the atomic blast that

ravaged Hiroshima in 1945 but survived?

Question 2: Will CT scan increase a person's lifetime cancer risk?

If you answered yes to both questions, you're right according to the survey.

You're also better informed than many patients at inner-city emergency

departments, according to a new survey .

" More than 70% of participants underestimated the radiation dose of CT relative

to chest radiography, and cancer risk comprehension was poor. Patients told the

researchers tests such as blood work and CT scans would boost their confidence

in their medical evaluation. "

The paper goes on to mention that there are patients that have had over 50 CT

scans.

To learn more follow these links...

Abstract Source:doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.10.018

http://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(10)01716-6/abstract

Article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/735308

~chris

CLL CANADA