health
How much preventive health screening should I be getting?
Screenings can find treatable conditions before they’ve caused too much damage – but ‘overscreening’ can cause harm
TL;DR
- Screening tests identify medical conditions before symptoms arise, ideally finding treatable issues early to prevent severe harm.
- Effective screening tests are inexpensive, easy to administer, and do not cause harm themselves.
- Overscreening involves excessive testing that may find irrelevant conditions, trigger unnecessary follow-up procedures, and create anxiety.
- Full-body MRI scans are an example of overzealous testing, often identifying 'incidentalomas' with unclear significance.
- Even established screenings like mammograms can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary procedures, especially for older patients.
- Direct-to-consumer tests may not be reviewed by the FDA, and their accuracy and usefulness can be difficult to assess.
- Consulting primary care clinicians and asking critical questions about a test's benefits and risks is advised before undergoing new screenings.