You can talk to your doctor about this but they will just parrot this Harvard Medical School report. I probably had no need for this ultrasound according to conventional expectations - being extremely fit, but my Dad had 85% blockage. So if one of your parents has clogged arteries that would be a known risk factor for stroke. Mine could have been totally prevented if my Dads' doctor had told him to warn any children to get scanned. But then I have no medical background so everything I mention is worthless.
Strokes
seem to come out of the blue. But most of them happen due to
decades-long damage to blood vessels and growth of artery-clogging
plaque. That raises the question: Is there an early warning test for
stroke?
Yes,
and no. A test called the carotid ultrasound can detect the buildup of
cholesterol-filled plaque in the carotid arteries in the neck. These
arteries deliver blood to the brain. The test, which uses sound waves,
is quick, safe, and without any immediate potential for harm. It makes
perfect sense for someone experiencing lightheadedness, memory loss, or
the warning signs of a stroke or mini-stroke. (I had none of these symptoms)
Having
a carotid ultrasound test also makes sense for anyone in whom a doctor
hears an abnormal sound called a bruit (BREW-ee) as he or she listens to
the carotid arteries through a stethoscope. The scan is also a
reasonable idea when a person has known risk factors for stroke, such as
a previous “mini-stroke,” high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or
diabetes. But a carotid ultrasound isn’t a good idea for otherwise
healthy people at average risk for stroke.
The
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force discourages routine echocardiograms
of the carotid arteries. Only about 1% of the general population has
significant narrowing of these arteries. And less than 10% of first-time
strokes are associated with such narrowings. In addition, roughly eight
in every 100 echocardiograms produce a false positive — a result that
indicates the presence of significant narrowing that isn’t really there.
False positives lead to unnecessary tests and possibly unnecessary
treatment.
If
you’re wondering whether you should ask your doctor for such a test, or
whether to have one as part of a community check-up at a church or
community center, here are some questions you might want to consider:
- If the test finds something, what’s next?
- If it doesn’t, are you in the clear?
For
most people, a better approach would be to pay attention to fighting
things that cause or contribute to the formation and growth of
cholesterol-filled plaque — high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
obesity, diabetes, not enough exercise, smoking, and the like. Getting
those risk factors under control will go a long way to preventing
stroke. (Pure intellectual laziness here because stopping the neuronal cascade of death could reduce the damage substantially)
For more information on ways to prevent and treat strokes, buy Stroke, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
No comments:
Post a Comment