----:Black Women's Health:----

Thursday, September 9, 2010

There are not any future events scheduled for the remainder of this month.

Preventive Medicine And Screening

The health of African-Americans has improved over the last thirty years. The life expectancy of African American women has increased from 68 to 74 years. Many factors have helped improve our health such as regular medical care, exercise, a healthy diet, and timely screening tests.

This article will focus on preventive interventions- screening tests, counseling interventions and immunizations as recommended by the United States Preventative Services Task Force. The importance of these recommendations has lead to a decline in previously common and debilitating conditions, such as polio, as well as a substantial reduction in illness/disease and death.

These summaries of recommendations are followed by your physician, and are recommended for adults (men and women). We need to be aware of these health screens to make sure we are properly screened in order to ensure a healthier future for ourselves and our families.

Disease	Screening Test	When/How Often	Comments
High Blood Pressure	Blood Pressure Check	Age> 21 Check every 1-2 years	High blood pressure contributes to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Heart disease remains the greatest killer of African American women. The death rate for stroke is 34% higher for Black females than White females.
High Cholesterol	Cholesterol level -HDL -LDL	-Men 35-65 years old; -Women 45-65 years old. -Screening should be every 5 years.
Breast Cancer	-Self Breast Exam -Physician breast exam -Mammogram	-monthly, same time each month -annually (age 40+) -every 1-2 years (ages 50-69); continue every 1-3 years if appropriate
Cervical Cancer	Pap smear	Annually until 3 negative exams, then every 2-3 years.	May decrease frequency or discontinue after ages 65-69.
Colon Cancer	-Stool occult blood test -Sigmoidoscopy	-Annually after age 50 -Every 3-5 years after age 50
Diabetes	Glucose (sugar) level in blood	Periodically in high risk.	One out of every four black women over the age of 55 suffers from diabetes. Diet, exercise, weight loss and medications can control diabetes.
Obesity	height/weight	Annually	Approximately 60% of African American women are overweight. Obesity contributes to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, depression endometrial, breast, and prostate cancers.
Glaucoma	Eye exam by ophthalmologist	Periodically after age 65
Prostate Cancer screening (men)	-PSA blood test -Rectal exam	Annually after age 50.	However, African American men have the highest risk of prostate CA, and therefore should be screened earlier.

Immunizations/Vaccinations:

Immunization/Vaccine	When/How Often	Comments
Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine	Booster every 10 years
Influenza vaccine (flu shot)	Annually for >65years.	Now almost universally recommended for everyone.
Pneumovax (Pneumonia shot)	Once for persons >65 years

Prophylaxis/Counseling
Exercise	Aerobic and resistance as tolerated. Thirty minutes or more of walking or other weight bearing exercise for most days of the week recommended. Prevents heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and other diseases.
Diet	Limit saturated fat and cholesterol. Emphasize high fiber. Calcium supplementation for postmenopausal women.
Tobacco (avoidance/cessation)	23% of Black women smoke. Causes heart and lung disease.
Aspirin Folic Acid Hormone Replacement Therapy	Daily for men and women over 50. Based on recommendation by physician. 0.4mg daily recommended for all menstruating women.
Estrogen/Progesterone	Post-menopausal women. Decreases risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Not recommended for all women, recommendation based on discussion with your doctor.

Reference:

Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. Report of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

LaShonda Spencer, M.D.

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