Too Many in U.S. are Exposed to Harmful Medical Imaging Radiation, Researchers Say

Younger Americans are at greater risks of developing deadly cancers as a result of being exposed to high levels of radiation from CT scans and other types of medical imaging, a new study finds.

The increasing use of medical imaging to treat and diagnose a wide variety of conditions, diseases, and disorders has now risen to the level of a public health threat that deserves urgent attention, according to researchers led by Emory University.

In a three-year-long study of about one million Americans between the ages of 18 and 64, the research team found that as many as four million people each year are exposed to what is deemed high doses of radiation.

“Even though the individual risk for any patient exposed to these kinds of doses may be small, when you add that up over millions of people, that can be a concerning population risk,” said lead researcher Dr. Reza Fazel.

The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Prolonged Use of Medical Imaging is Dangerous

The use of medical imaging has helped doctors diagnose diseases and gather valuable information about patients without need for surgery or other invasive measures. However, repeated exposure to radiation used in the exams can increase cancer risks, particularly in young children who begin receiving the exams at a young age and continue into adulthood.

A report earlier this year from National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement found that Americans are now exposed to about seven times as much radiation from diagnostic scans as they were in 1980.

In researching the use and risks of medical imaging, the research team relied on medical claims filed by people insured by UnitedHealth Group Inc. in five U.S. markets between January 2005 and December 2007.

Biggest Contributors Identified

They found that the largest sources of radiation exposure were computed tomography, an advanced form of X-ray also called a CT scan, and nuclear medical scans, which require a small amount of radioactive material to be injected into the patient’s bloodstream and seen using special cameras.

About 75 percent of all radiation exposure found in the study was from those two sources combined, researchers said.

However, the advanced heart stress test called a myocardial perfusion scan was the single-biggest contributor to radiation exposure, the study found.

In general, women were more likely than men to be exposed to elevated radiation levels, likely because of mammogram screenings which are performed on women far more than men.

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