Medical Tests & Procedures Archive

If people see evidence of plaque buildup inside their arteries, it may motivate them to take better care of their heart health, according to a 2023 study.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening can help identify early prostate cancer, but it also can lead men to have biopsies and invasive treatments they may not need. This complexity has caused the medical community to re-evaluate how best to use PSA testing. More doctors are using PSA screening in ways that minimize the use of biopsies, such as by following a worrisome test result with MRI of the prostate. If a man does have a biopsy and a cancer is found, PSA testing can help the man follow active surveillance.

The thyroid gland releases hormones that affect the heart. Too little thyroid hormone slows the heart rate and may boost blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while too much can trigger abnormal heart rhythms and high blood pressure.

Many chronic conditions seem to be related. Examples include obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease; hearing loss and dementia; obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure; various autoimmune diseases; and obesity and joint problems. People with chronic conditions should ask their doctors about the risk for associated diseases.In some cases, they should have certain health screenings to check for them. In other cases, additional screening isn't automatic.

Melanoma kills about 8,000 Americans each year. Most people are at low risk of melanoma and don't need annual skin cancer screenings. People should be screened each year if they have risk factors such as dozens of atypical moles, a family history of melanoma or atypical moles, an earlier skin cancer, certain genetic mutations or predisposition, immune-suppressing therapy after organ transplantation or for inflammatory bowel disease, a history of blistering sunburns, or substantial tanning bed use.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released updated draft guidelines in May 2023 proposing that women at average risk of breast cancer be screened every other year starting at age 40.

Wearing a device that automatically records blood pressure every 30 to 60 minutes for 24 hours (known as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) may better predict death from cardiovascular disease and other causes than clinic blood pressure readings.

A calcium score, which quantifies the plaque inside the heart's arteries, can sometimes improve the ability to assess a person's risk of heart disease beyond the traditional heart disease risk score.