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Increased risk of cancer for American heart patients due to diagnostic radiation exposure

American patients are ‘exposed to excessive radiation during heart tests – raising the risk of cancer’, Daily Mail, 29 Dec 15 

• Scientists revealed US heart patients face higher risk of radiation exposure
• Myocardial perfusion imaging is used to diagnose coronary artery disease
• The imaging technology requires the use of radiation, the study said
• US patients receive a 20% higher radiation dose during these tests
• That’s because US facilities don’t closely follow radiation dosing guidelines

By LISA RYAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM , 30 December 2015 |…………..Dr Einstein said the results from the studies show that doctors must do more to minimize radiation exposure.

That’s because radiation exposure will still cause cancer in a small – but real – number of patients, according to Dr Rebecca Smith-Bindman of the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr Smith-Bindman wrote, in an accompanying editorial: ‘The right imaging tests performed at the right time can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses, better treatment decisions and improved patient outcomes, and advanced imaging has had a very positive impact on patient care.’

Yet, she cautioned that ‘unnecessary and inappropriately performed tests cause patients discomfort and anxiety

They can lead to a large number of irrelevant incidental findings and expose them to ionizing radiation – which can have negative effects on their health – she concluded.

The studies were published in JAMA Internal Medicine. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3377866/American-patients-exposed-excessive-radiation-heart-tests-raising-risk-cancer.html

December 30, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, radiation, USA