Prevention
When you enter your 50’s prevention becomes more important than ever. Exercise, a healthy diet and preventive screenings should be a part of everyone’s health plan. Family Practice Group is committed to helping our patients prevent or detect health conditions in their earliest and most treatable stages.
Important screenings for those over 50:
Test: Colonoscopy
Frequency: every 10 years for both men and women starting at age 50
Need to know: Polyps can be identified and removed before cancer can develop
Beginning at age 50, both men and women at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should be screened.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers there is, yet it is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. Nationally, less than half of age appropriate individuals undergo proper screening.
In Oregon, only 11 percent of age appropriate individuals undergo American Cancer Society (ACS) colon screening recommendations.
Because so many polyps are left untreated, colorectal cancer is now the third most common cancer in men and women.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if detected early, yet in Oregon more than half of colon cancer cases are detected in later stages of the disease.
People should talk to their doctor about starting colorectal cancer screening earlier and/or being screened more often if they have any of the following colorectal cancer risk factors:
- A personal history of colorectal cancer or adenomatous polyps
- A personal history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease
(Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis) - A strong family history of colorectal cancer or polyps
(cancer or polyps in a first-degree relative [parent, sibling, or child] younger than 60 or in 2 or more first-degree relatives of any age) - A known family history of hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC)
Traditional colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy are two of the American Cancer Society’s recommended screening methods.
Family Practice Group provides colonoscopy screening services. Please call Dr. Eric Ring at (541) 618-6445 to schedule an appointment.
For those with increased risk of complications or elderly patients who cannot tolerate a standard colonoscopy or sedation, a new virtual colonoscopy screening procedure is now available.
For more information on colon cancer please visit the American Cancer Society web site.
Insurance coverage:
Most insurance companies cover a colonoscopy screening for those 50 and over. Check with your insurance regarding your coverage for this screening.
Test: PSA (prostate-specific antigen)
Frequency: Annually for all men after age 50
Need to know: Elevated PSA levels can indicate prostate problems, including cancer, and should be followed up with a urologist.
For more Prostate cancer information please visit Cancer.org
Insurance coverage:
Currently, Medicare provides coverage for an annual PSA test for all men age 50 and older.
Test: DXA Screening for Osteoporosis
Frequency: Postmenopausal women under age 65, all women after age 65; sooner if you are at increased risk
Need to know: A negative T-score indicates that you have thinner bones than the average 30-year-old. A T-score of –2.5 or lower can indicate osteoporosis. The scan measures BMD in the spine and hip.
A test can:
- Detect low bone density before a fracture occurs.
- Confirm a diagnosis of osteoporosis if you already have one or more fractures.
- Predict your chances of fracturing in the future.
- Determine your rate of bone loss, and monitor the effects of treatment if the test is conducted at intervals of a year or more.
Bone density testing is strongly recommended if you:
- Are a post-menopausal woman and not taking estrogen.
- Have a personal or maternal history of hip fracture or smoking.
- Are a post-menopausal woman who is tall (over 5 feet 7 inches) or thin (less than 125 pounds).
- Are a man with clinical conditions associated with bone loss.
- Use medications that are known to cause bone loss, including corticosteroids such as Prednisone, various anti-seizure medications such as Dilantin and certain barbiturates, or high-dose thyroid replacement drugs.
- Have type 1 (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent) diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease or a family history of osteoporosis.
- Have high bone turnover, which shows up in the form of excessive collagen in urine samples.
- Have a thyroid condition, such as hyperthyroidism.
- Have a parathyroid condition, such as hyperparathyroidism.
- Have experienced a fracture after only mild trauma.
- Have had x-ray evidence of vertebral fracture or other signs of osteoporosis.
Please visit Rogue Valley Physicians' Osteoporosis Center web site for comprehensive information on this health condition.
Insurance coverage:
DXA screenings are generally covered by insurance carriers when indicated by your physician or on an annual basis if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. DXA screening is also covered if risk factors are present, which for most females is menopause. For males screening is usually not covered unless they have had some bone breakage. It is however recommended in all males 75 years of age and older. Medicare and most other insurance carriers will pay for an exam every two years if you have osteopenia, a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal. Osteopenia is considered by many doctors to be a precursor to osteoporosis.
A Rogue Valley Physicians, PC clinic