Senior Care in Altamonte Springs, FL: March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Senior Care in Altamonte Springs, FL: March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

February 28, 2012 - 8:03 am

Regular screening is an incredibly essential part of preventative care. Colorectal cancer is one thing that all seniors should be screened for. March is devoted to making people today informed of this condition. It is the second top cause of deaths as a consequence of cancers that have an impact on both genders, and 90% of folks diagnosed with colon cancer were over fifty. It is suggested that screening starts at age 50 and carries on right up until age 75. There are several tests that should be done routinely to check for colon cancer.

A colonoscopy ought to be completed once just about every ten years. All through this procedure, the large and small bowels are viewed with a very small camera. This is conducted to see and eradicate any polyps and is imperative to early cancer detection. The first colonoscopy should be done at age fifty.

While a colonoscopy allows the evaluation of the entire four to five feet of the colon, a flexible sigmoidoscopy allows for the sigmoid colon or the final two feet to be seen. A colonoscopy is a favored check over a sigmoidoscopy; however, a sigmoidoscopy is quicker. A sigmoidoscopy should be given every five years.

A fecal occult blood test is a procedure of colorectal cancer screening that should be given on a yearly basis. This demands a stool sample being delivered off to a lab for testing. Chemicals are used to discover blood that cannot be seen. If blood is located in the stool, further testing is expected. A patient may be sent for a colonoscopy.

A double contrast barium enema may be used every five years for further testing. This is a strategy in which an X-ray of the colon is taken. The barium used in this procedure highlights the large intestine. It is at the same time delivered to expand the colon, allowing for clearer images. The barium will pass out of the body with stools.

Every person between the ages of fifty and seventy-five should have routine testing for colorectal cancer. Assessing should be started off earlier with family history of colorectal cancer or with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Tests are also recommended in some seniors who are over the age of seventy-five. Talk to your primary care physician about colorectal cancer screening today.

Alzheimer’s Orlando Home Care counselors at Partners in Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care. We are a senior care agency providing Elder Care in Orlando.

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