A study found that patients with one or more health conditions are more likely to be screened for colorectal cancer than those without comorbidities. The study appeared in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
The study found that patients with diabetes, hypertension, skin cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, depression, and chronic kidney disease were significantly more likely to be screened than those without these health conditions.
“No prior study, to my knowledge, has assessed the impact of multiple comorbidities on colorectal screenings. It was a real surprise to see how a patient’s other health conditions impact their likelihood of being tested,” said Ben Greiner, DO, an internist at the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals in Galveston, Texas via a press release. “Our findings reveal a lack of or myriad health conditions may prevent patients from receiving the preventive care they need.”
“It may be that the treating physician or a patient suffering from five or more additional disease states is fatigued by more pressing treatment needs and therefore not prioritizing important screenings,” said Dr. Greiner. “I also worry about the person who has no other health conditions and is either not seeing their doctor on a regular basis or, because of their otherwise clean bill of health, not following the screening recommendation.”
Credit: Original article published here.
