Life Line Screening offers a package of preventive health screenings aimed at the early identification of disease. The stroke prevention components involve the three leading causes of stroke – carotid artery stenosis, atrial fibrillation, and systolic hypertension (high blood pressure). Other health screening services we provide include peripheral arterial disease and bone mineral density testing as well as finger-stick blood tests for cholesterol, glucose (sugar), and in several states, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation.
Despite this variety of health screenings, some media stories focus almost exclusively on one screening -- the carotid artery screening – in order to imply that our services are not worthwhile. The basis of these reports comes from a statement by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a government-convened body that examines and grades screenings based on an evaluation of the costs and benefits of undergoing preventive tests.
Carotid Artery Screening Concerns Raised by the USPSTF Report
In December of 2008, the Task Force released a statement saying they gave carotid artery health screening a low “D” grade, and therefore do not recommend the screening based on what they saw as unacceptable costs versus the benefit to humanity. The Task Force arrived at this conclusion through a review of other published studies. As far as Life Line Screening can tell, there were no vascular specialists on the panel that did the review.
The panel’s statement was based on the costs of hospital-based health screening coupled with a surgical procedure called carotid endarterectomy. This model is the costliest model and since it involves surgery, it carries associated risk.
But this is not what Life Line Screening does.
Answers About Our Carotid Artery Screening
Life Line Screening provides community-based health screenings with the aim of finding disease at an early enough stage that lifestyle changes and medical management can make a difference, and possibly avoid surgery altogether. Community-based screening is much less expensive than hospital-based as it does not incur the overhead expenses associated with maintaining a hospital. In addition, lifestyle coaching and medical management (such as aspirin therapy or statins) are available alternatives when mild or moderate atherosclerotic disease (plaque build-up in the arteries) is found early. Surgery is rarely needed at this point.
The model examined in the Task Force report – hospital based screening coupled with surgical correction -- is completely different than the model Life Line Screening employs and creates a cost/benefit ratio that is wholly different than ours. In fact, the Task Force statement acknowledges that medical management, not surgical correction, may be the better option for many with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. They write “Until we address the gaps in the evidence that screening and treatment with carotid endarterectomy provides overall benefits to the general population, clinicians’ efforts might be more practically focused on optimizing medical management.”
It should be noted that for those that need surgery, it can be lifesaving, and that decision is made by the patient in consultation with his or her doctor, not by Life Line Screening.
Answers About Our Other Health Screening Services
Because preventive health screenings are an important health decision, and because you may also have questions about some of our other screening services, we have compiled information from various health associations, online publications, and testimonials in order to help you fully understand the value in our preventive health screening services.
- Life Line Screening believes that screening people at-risk for cardiovascular disease risk factors makes sense. Finding disease at an earlier stage, when it is typically silent, is a better option than waiting for symptoms to appear and dealing with advanced disease.
- Most strokes occur out of the blue, with only a fraction having any warnings signs. For most individuals, the first sign of a stroke is the stroke. For people with osteoporosis, the first sign is often a bone fracture.
- The Society for Vascular Surgery, which has concluded that health screenings can lead to early detection of vascular disease,1 recommends the types of vascular screenings LLSA does.2
- The SHAPE Task Force, a task force of medical professionals, also recommends these types of screening.3
- The American Diabetes Association recommends one of the screenings – peripheral arterial disease – for every person with diabetes age 50 and over.4
- A study in the UK found community-based carotid artery screenings to be cost effective and beneficial to saving lives.5
- The Mayo Clinic has a statement on its website that says, “Community screenings are an excellent way to raise awareness about common diseases and, in some situations, identify disease in its early stages. The benefit is realized when patients take the next step, seeing their physician for diagnosis and treatment.”6 This is completely in harmony with Life Line Screening’s mission.
- Real people’s experiences summarize the benefits of Life Line Screening more clearly than anything else. Visit our health screening testimonials section to find stories from some of our screening participants.
Life Line Screening stands behind its quality and is proud to serve and continue to serve individuals and families in the United States, the United Kingdom and other nations.
Learn More Facts About Health Screening Services
Life Line Screening Reviews
Read reviews about Life Line Screening from medical professionals and screening participants.
Is Health Screening a Scam?
Learn the facts about the value and benefits of preventive health screening with Life Line Screening.
Common Concerns about Health Screening
Find answers to common concerns about the health screening process with Life Line Screening.
Sources
1 - Society for Vascular Surgery
2 - Society for Vascular Surgery
3 - SHAPE Society
4 - American Diabetes Association
5 - Community-based vascular screening for carotid disease has been reviewed by researchers at a prestigious university in the United Kingdom and found to be cost effective and life-saving. Reference: Saleem MA, Sadat U, et al. Role of carotid duplex Imaging in carotid screening programmes – an overview. Cardiovascular Ultrasound 2008; 6: 34. Research in the U.S. has found consistent findings.
6 - Mayo Clinic
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