Health Screening

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Latest News

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Women
• Seniors

Summary

Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Screening tests can find diseases early, when they're easier to treat. You can get some screenings in your doctor's office. Others need special equipment, so you may need to go to a different office or clinic.

Some conditions that doctors commonly screen for include

• Breast cancer and cervical cancer in women
• Colorectal cancer
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Osteoporosis
• Overweight and obesity
• Prostate cancer in men

Which tests you need depends on your age, your sex, your family history, and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases. After a screening test, ask when you will get the results and whom to talk to about them.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Start Here

• Get Screened (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) Also in Spanish
• To Screen or Not to Screen? The Benefits and Harms of Screening Tests (National Institutes of Health)
• Your Health at Every Age: Steps for Better Health by Age (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Latest News

• New Test May Help Spot Pancreatic Cancer Early (07/12/2017, HealthDay)
• Easier Colon Exam Boosts Screening, but Insurers May Not Pay (07/11/2017, HealthDay)
• More Cancers Caught in Wealthy People (06/07/2017, HealthDay)
• More News on Health Screening

Related Issues

• Health Insurance: Understanding What It Covers (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Home Use Tests (Food and Drug Administration)
• Whole-Body CT Screening--Should I or Shouldn't I Get One? (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Cancer Information Summaries: Screening/Detection (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer Screening Overview (PDQ) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Cardiac Risk Assessment (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Colon and Rectal Cancer Screening (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Complete Blood Count (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Glucose Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Hepatitis C: Information on Testing and Diagnosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• How Often Should I Have an Eye Exam? (Prevent Blindness America)
• Lipid Profile (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Lung Cancer Screening (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Skin Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• STD Testing: What's Right for You (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• TB Screening Tests (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Genetics

• Genetic Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

• Calculate Your Body Mass Index (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Mental Health Screening Center (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)
• Question Builder: Be Prepared for Your Next Medical Appointment (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• What Vaccines Do You Need? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Cancer Screening: How Do Screening Tests Become Standard Tests? (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• CDC Vital Signs: Alcohol Screening and Counseling (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• CDC Vital Signs: Hepatitis C: Testing Baby Boomers Saves Lives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Screening for Preeclampsia: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.
• Article: A Public Health Approach to Hepatitis C in an Urban...
• Article: Small-Group Randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Condom Use and HIV...
• Health Screening -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Children

• Blood Test: Lead (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Newborn Screening: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Vision Screening (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

Teenagers

• Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Men

• Men's Health: Prevent the Top Threats (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Recommended Screenings for Men 50+ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Women

• Mammograms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Pap Smear (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Recommended Screenings for Women 50+ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Seniors

• Health Screenings and Immunizations (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• Medicare Preventive and Screening Services (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)