CR5 Issue 157 June 2018

Health By
Alison Runham www.alison.runham.co.uk
Health Screenings: What’s Available?
Screening programmes are
designed to identify health
problems at an early stage, and
the NHS offer many free screening
programmes, beginning before
we’re born.
PREGNANCY AND POST-NATAL
SCREENINGS
If you’re pregnant, you will usually
be offered a blood test for
hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis
before you’re 10 weeks pregnant.
Early treatment reduces the risk
of passing infection to your baby.
You’ll also be offered screening
for thalassaemia and sometimes
sickle cell disease before 10
weeks, as it’s important to
establish whether you’re a carrier.
Screenings for your unborn baby:
• 8-14 weeks: a ‘dating scan’. This
ultrasound checks your baby’s
development and will confirm
your due date and if you’re
expecting more than one baby.
• 10-14 weeks: screening for
Down’s syndrome, Patau’s
syndrome and Edwards’ syndrome.
This combines a blood
test with an ultrasound scan
and can be done alongside your
dating scan.
• 18-21 weeks: The ‘mid-pregnancy
anomaly scan’, an ultrasound to
check for physical abnormalities.
Soon after birth, babies are
given a physical examination and
a blood spot ’heel prick’ test for
several inherited diseases
including cystic fibrosis, plus a
hearing test before 3 months of
age.
SCREENING FOR TEENS AND
ADULTS
Diabetics aged 12 and over: the
annual diabetic eye test checks
for early signs of diabetic
retinopathy (damage to blood
vessels in the retina).
Women aged between 25 and 64:
Cervical screening (a ‘smear test’)
is offered to check the health
of cells in the cervix. Changes in
these cells can often be
benevolent but may also be an
early sign of cervical cancer.
Women are screened every three
years from 26 to 49 and every
five years from the ages of 50 to
64. This quick test is usually done
at your GP surgery by a doctor
or nurse, who will gently remove
some cells from the surface of
your cervix.
Over 40s: You may be invited for
a general health check every five
years.
Women aged 50 to 70: Breast
screening, via an X-ray called a
mammogram, can detect early
signs of breast cancer. Women
over 70 can self-refer.
Over 55s: In some parts of
England, bowel scope screening
to detect bowel cancer is offered.
The large bowel is examined via
a thin, flexible tube with a tiny
camera.
Aged 60 to 74: Every two years,
you will be sent a home testing
kit called the faecal occult blood
(FOB) test, which can detect
blood in your stool. The presence
of blood indicates further testing
is required.
Men at age 65: Abdominal aortic
aneurysm (AAA) screening is offered
to detect dangerous
swelling in the aorta. Men over 65
can self-refer.
PRIVATE SCREENINGS
Many private health companies
advertise a range of additional
screening tests, which you will
have to pay for unless they form
part of an introductory offer or
membership scheme.
Some of the tests offered are not
recommended by the UK National
Screening Committee, as it isn’t
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clear that their benefits outweigh
the harm they may cause.
If you want to know more about
private screening, the UK NSC has
produced a downloadable leaflet
on private screening which you
can access here:
www.gov.uk/government/
publications/leaflet-thinking-ofhaving-a-private-screening-test/
private-screening-important-facts.
SCREENING COULD SAVE YOUR
LIFE
Although NHS screenings are
offered to everyone eligible, it’s
your choice whether to have
them. Screenings and their results
can cause anxiety and give rise
to difficult decisions, especially
where pregnancy screenings
are concerned. There may be a
small risk of false negatives and
positives, and more tests may be
required.
However, remember that an hour
or less spent at a screening could
save your life (or that of a loved
one). Diagnosing and treating
conditions swiftly is the best way
to reduce their impact and
prevent them from becoming
more severe.
MORE INFORMATION
While private health companies
advertise additional screenings,
some aren’t recommended by the
UK National Screening
Committee, as it isn’t clear that
their benefits outweigh the
harm they may cause. For more
information, see the NSC’s leaflet
on private screening: www.gov.
uk/government/publications/
leaflet-thinking-of-having-a-private-screening-test/private-screening-important-facts.
To find out more about screenings
and their pros and cons, you can
read this NHS-recommended leaflet
from Sense about Science,
entitled Making Sense of Screening,
available here:
senseaboutscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Makingsenseofscreening.pdf.