CT Scan Side Effects

"Have you ever had CT scan? Are the threats of radiation exposure really large? Of late, one of my friends who has been diagnosed in conjunction with breast cancer has developed red lumps on the breasts. My grandpa is very soon going to be diagnosed with lung cancer. I'm worried if the CT leads to some complications in him and even worsen the situation"~ Katie

Many people have a similar story like that of Katie. CT scan side effects, especially the threat of radiation exposure, though never reported to cause much concern among medical experts, has now become an important point of consideration before people go for the CT scan tests, majorly due to the unprecedented rise in the number of people going for CT scan tests every year. CT scan, or computerized tomography scanner, is a medical diagnostic device that takes X-ray pictures of the parts of the body that are to be analyzed for a medical diagnosis. CAT scan, or computer aided tomography, uses technology that can present a detailed two and three dimensional image of various body parts, and hence making the process of analyzing the disease simpler. Since the past few years, CAT scans have been used to diagnose number of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and complications related to the muscles and bones.

What are the Side Effects of CT Scan?
As a matter of fact, CT scans are known to be a low risk, non-invasive and painless procedure with a high efficiency rate. However, studies conducted in the past couple of months in several reputed medical journals have related them to high risk of over exposure to CT sans. Some plausible side effects of CT scans have been mentioned further.

Allergic Reaction
One of the most common CT scan side effects is the allergic reaction to the intravenous contrast material. This material is a form of iodine based liquid given in the vein which helps in the clear observation of kidneys and blood vessels on the CT scan.

Skin and Breathing Complications
Some other side effects of CT scans include itching, skin rash and hives. These reactions last for sometime and can be treated with antihistamines. Some patients have been reported to experience much more serious symptoms of allergic reactions. In these reactions, the person may experience severe problems of breathing or in most of the cases, hives can appear on the skin. People with kidney problems, liver problems and diabetes are more prone to reaction from this problem. There has been ongoing research and newer intravenous liquids have been developed to counter this problem.

Women and Children Vulnerable Targets
The amount of radiation a person receives from CT scan is set to such a level so that the body is exposed to a minimal amount of radiation. The side effects of CT scan are more common now as the medical experts have increased the levels of the radiation to get perfectly clear view of the internal body. Pregnant women are mostly prone to side effects of radiation as the fetus can be adversely affected by the radiation. Pregnant women must inform their medical expert before they go for these tests and must prefer some other safer methods of imaging.

According to the National Cancer Institute, children are more sensitive to radiation if they get larger doses of the radiation. To avoid radiation in children, doctors must understand the medical condition of the child and should analyze the past medical record of the patient.

Cancer Risk
One of the most scary side effects of CT scans is that it increases the risk of cancer in a patient. Frequent CT scans exposes an individual to over dose of radiation, even though in small amounts leading to health problems. The most potent threat these days with respect to the increased use of CT scans in hospitals is the horrific disease cancer. As a patient, one must always inform the radiographer about any previous CT scans and if they experience any sort of discomfort during the process. It is necessary to inform about the past medical history to the radiology technicians because they can best determine if an individual is fit enough to go for CT scan tests.

It is to be noted that CT scans have become popular because of quick, relatively cheap (read: CAT scan cost) and painless way to get the three dimensional pictures that can help us analyze various diseases.

According to a survey Americans are more exposed to ionization radiation today than they were 30 years ago. Physicians have related this trend to the increased use of CT scans in the US, in the last two decades. While several medical experts have started to rely less on CT scans, there has been a lot of debate in the media regarding the overuse of CT scans. Patients are even advised not to pressurize doctors to allow them for a CT scan test. According to researchers, people should try to avoid these tests unless it is urgent as successive CT scan tests within few years of interval are known to cause health problems.