Breast cancer is, by far, the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer death in women, globally. According to statistics, in India, 1 in 28 women is likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Every year, the month of October is marked as the #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, to increase support for the awareness, early detection and treatment of this disease. Yet, many women are still sceptical about going for routine women health screening like mammograms and question the effectiveness of the procedure. 

This scepticism is often a result of the various myths surrounding screening tests for women especially mammograms, the most common one being that it exposes women to a large amount of radiation, which is harmful and can cause breast cancer. While in reality, the truth remains that the small quantity of radiation that women get exposed to during a mammogram is within safe limits, and its benefits are plenty. 

If you are someone who asks yourself “Do I really need to go for a women health screening and get a mammogram?”, then this article is for you.

Here are the top 5 reasons why screening tests for women like a mammogram is a must! 

• Early detection is the best prevention: A mammogram is used both as a diagnostic and screening tool to detect breast cancer early. While it can’t prevent breast cancer, a mammogram can help detect cancer early when there are more treatment options available, and before it spreads to other parts of the body. Research suggests 98% of breast cancer patients survive when the cancer is diagnosed early and contained to the breast. 

• A scan helps you see what’s invisible to the naked eye: Mammography is a procedure that uses x-ray imaging to examine the breast for the early detection of cancer and other breast diseases. The image that mammography generates is called a mammogram, which can effectively spot changes in the breast tissue and find breast cancer long before one can see or feel a lump forming in the breast. This unique ability makes mammogram one of the best screening tests for women when screening for breast cancers.

• A mammogram can be your one true saviour: Breast cancer, when detected early allows you to get the right treatment at the right time and ensures you get a better fighting chance. You may not even need to go under the knife and get a mastectomy or surgically remove your affected breasts. When detected early, a procedure called lumpectomy may be used to remove only the cancerous growth or tumour while preserving the healthy breast tissue, thus saving both your life and your breasts. Hence a mammogram can help detect the disease early and be your saviour. 

• Screening tests for women like mammogram helps you stay health aware: Women health screening tests like a mammogram is the best way to know whether you are at risk of developing breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age and can occur even if one has no family history of the disease. Being a woman and advancing age are the most significant risk factors for developing breast cancer. Hence, a mammogram is not a one-time women health screening but a routine breast exam, which women need to take every year, starting at the age of 40 to take charge of their health. 

• 20 minutes is all it takes to be sure of your breast health: Your health is your biggest asset, and a mammogram can help you protect it. It is the best and one of the safest procedures to help detect breast cancer early. And the best part is that it usually takes no more than 20 minutes for the entire test to get completed. Now spare a few minutes to get your women health screening done, and live a long and disease-free life with your loved ones.  

So, ladies! Put all the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ to rest and schedule your routine mammogram now. Remember, early detection and a mammogram can save lives. Get yourself screened early.

“Health is not valued till sickness comes” – No saying is wiser than these words of wisdom by Thomas Fuller. It is when we fall sick that we realise the importance of staying healthy and take adequate measures to heal our body. Fortunate are those who get a second lease of life and bounce back after an illness, but not everyone is as lucky. 

The overall health care landscape of the country looks grim. India’s disease burden is alarming, and lifestyle-oriented diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, COPD and heart diseases are at an all-time high. These critical illnesses come unannounced and sometimes go unnoticed for months before finally showing the warning signs. Thus staying in charge of your health is more important today, than it was ever before; that’s where preventive health care comes in.

Health Screening or a Preventive health check-up is the need of the hour!

Preventive healthcare, as the name suggests, consists of a series of health screening tests, designed to detect hidden diseases early in otherwise healthy people. A preventive health check-up or a health screening is for healthy, asymptomatic people. It allows early detection of underlying health conditions which, when ignored, can pose life-threatening consequences at a later stage.

Know the importance of early detection & preventive health check-up!

Preventive health care gives you a 360-degree overview of your health status and helps identify diseases early ensuring the right treatment at the right time. When it comes to critical illnesses and lifestyle disorders, the earlier they get diagnosed, the more likely it is for you to find a cure and manage it better. With early detection and treatment, you may be able to prevent or delay complications and consequences that these life-altering diseases pose to your health. Some lifestyle diseases like COPD and Diabetes can’t be cured but detecting them early with the help of preventive health check-up, and screening tests help you manage the condition better and makes it easier to live with it.  

3 Reasons why you should make health screening a part of your routine!

To stay healthy & active: A health screening or a preventive health check-up is your best chance of knowing how healthy you are. It gives you a holistic overview of your health, so you can take charge of your health and necessary measures to steer clear of diseases. Thus, allowing you to live a long and healthy life.

To be health-aware: Preventive healthcare allows you to see the unseen and take necessary precautions to stop a disease or condition from worsening. It also tells you whether you are at risk of developing critical illnesses and prepares you to combat them better by taking the necessary steps to change your lifestyle or get the right treatment for better health.

To stay a step ahead of diseases: Health Screenings and preventive health check-up is the greatest weapon in fighting diseases. It can detect pre-cancerous condition and cancer early when multiple treatment options are available. When detected early, it may respond to treatment better and knowing your health problems well in advance helps you take care of your physical and mental well-being. Thus, allowing you to stay in control of your health better. 

It may be quite intimidating to go for a health screening or preventive check-up, but worth your while as it helps you overcome the fear of the unknown. Knowledge is the ultimate power when it comes to your health, and a preventive health check-up is the best way to be completely aware of your health status. It also provides you with a sense of reassurance and well being. Thus, Adopting preventive healthcare as a part of your daily routine is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, because early detection is the best protection. Schedule your health screening today!

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease commonly referred to as COPD is a word not known to 99.15% of people even though it causes more deaths than AIDS, TB, Malaria and Diabetes combined. 

COPD often termed as the smoker’s disease and identified by a smoker’s cough, is a far bigger problem and needs our immediate attention. According to the 2016 Global Burden of Diseases study, India ranks second in the world, only after China, in terms of the total number of COPD cases but, when it comes to deaths due to COPD, India is known as the COPD capital of the world. 

It’s time we understand COPD better!

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow, making it difficult to breathe. It is an umbrella term given to a group of progressive lung diseases, the most common of them being emphysema and chronic bronchitis. 

Emphysema slowly destroys the air sacs obstructing the air passage with a gradual reduction in airflow and Chronic Bronchitis causes inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes, which allows mucus to build up making breathing a constant struggle. Most COPD patients often suffer from both of these conditions.

It’s time to know the symptoms of COPD better!

In the initial stages, COPD may show no signs or symptoms, or just mild ones, which get easily ignored. But as the disease progresses, the symptoms become increasingly severe. COPD tends to get under-diagnosed but is a life-threatening lung disease that may progressively lead to death. Hence, a preventive health check-up is a must even at the slightest onset of a COPD symptom. Check out some of the most common symptoms of COPD.

• Shortness of breath that aggravates with physical activity
• A persistent and recurrent cough which produces a lot of mucus
• Wheezing or a whistling sound that occurs whenever you breathe
• Chest tightness or feeling a constant heaviness on the chest

In advanced stages, COPD symptoms may also include:

· Frequent colds, flu, or other respiratory infections

· Lack of energy or constant fatigue

· Swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs

· Unwarranted weight loss

Effects of cigarette smoking & other causes of COPD

Cigarette smoking is by far the leading preventable cause of COPD. In the majority of people with COPD, long-term cigarette smoking is the cause of the lung damage that leads to COPD. Smoking tobacco, in the form of cigarettes, cigar, or pipe makes one susceptible to developing pulmonary diseases and in turn, can develop into COPD. Second-hand smoke is equally harmful as it exposes you to irritants and can give you COPD. 

The harmful effects of cigarette smoking and its impact on a person’s pulmonary health are known to everyone. However, smoking is not the only cause of COPD. About 25% of all COPD cases have no smoking history. Check out some of the other risk factors, to be blamed for an increasing number of COPD cases amongst non-smokers.

Air pollution & exposure to toxic fumes: The worsening air quality and exposure to toxic fumes from biomass fuel combustion increase the risk of developing COPD.

Occupational Hazards: Long-term exposure to industrial toxins, radioactive material and other chemical substances can also lead to pulmonary disorders like COPD.

COVID 19 & COPD

Severe COVID-19 infection is also a concern in patients with COPD. According to a 2020 survey report conducted amongst 140 people with COVID-19, having COPD does not make people more likely to contract the virus. However, if someone with severe COPD contracts the novel coronavirus, they may have a higher risk of COVID-19 complication, since the virus affects the respiratory system aggravating existing lung damage further, making it more difficult for the lungs to fight off an infection.  

Early detection helps manage COPD better!

COPD is a progressive disease with no cure. But if detected at an initial stage, it can be managed well, and one can also learn to live well with COPD. To control it better one needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, quit smoking cigarettes, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, avoid chemical toxins, and actively adopt preventive health check-up as a part of their routine. 

Going for a preventive health check-up is the best way to detect COPD early and stop the symptoms from worsening. It allows you to take charge of your health and take necessary precautions to avoid the COPD triggers which can get life-threatening if left untreated for a long time. 

Early detection saves lives. Get yourself screened today!

The advent of medical technology has given us several medical wonders; and has contributed immensely to the advancement of medicine. It has made several untreatable diseases and conditions treatable in the past few decades. However, with medical inflation at its peak and the increasing medical burden of the country, the cost of health care is skyrocketing by the minute. Even a simple procedure requiring hospitalisation can drill a hole in your pocket, and the more complicated ones can drain you out of both your savings and peace of mind. Today, investing in your health and taking preventive measures to steer clear of diseases has become more necessary than ever before.  Hence, we can no longer delay and deny the importance of health screening today, and the sooner we adopt it as a part of our daily routine, the better.

But first, we need to understand what exactly a health screening helps you achieve. The word health screening is often interchangeably used for a health check-up or a diagnostic test. However, comparing the two is almost like comparing apples to oranges. So, we decided to make it easier for you to understand the difference, by highlighting the key aspects to differentiate the two. 

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Purpose

The primary purpose of a screening test is to detect underlying diseases and conditions early, to help you be aware of your health risks and take timely action to stop them from posing life-threatening consequences.

On the other hand, the purpose of a diagnostic test is to confirm the presence or absence of a disease or condition in suspected individuals, as a basis for treatment decisions. A diagnostic test comes as the next step to a screening test to confirm the prognosis.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Target Group

A Screening Test is for healthy, asymptomatic people who show no signs or symptoms of an underlying disease or condition. It is a preventive measure to ascertain health risks in individuals who look or feel well.

On the contrary, a diagnostic test is for people whose screening showed a possible abnormality. It is for individuals who already show signs and symptoms of a health issue and want to confirm the presence or absence of a suspected disease or condition. 

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Right Time

The best time to undergo a screening test is when you are healthy. However, several other factors like age, heredity, gender, etc. play a role in deciding when you should go for a screening test and how often you need one. Checking with your family physician is the best way to understand it better.

When it comes to a diagnostic test, one must carry it out soon after the prognosis, to be sure of one’s health status. Because the sooner the diagnosis is made, the better chances are available for a credible treatment option to be ascertained.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Next Steps

Once the result of the screening test is out, you can expect to get a holistic view of your health, and understand whether you are susceptible to a disease or condition. Accordingly, additional tests can be taken, confirming the presence or absence of the disease suspected. It also prepares you to combat ailments better by allowing you to get the right treatment at the right time.

On the other hand, a diagnostic test helps confirm your health status. It not only helps identify the presence of the disease but works as a deciding step to understand the stage and progression of it. Thus, allowing you to know the treatment options available for you to take at that point in time.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Cost

Since a screening test is a preventive measure that one takes to know the unknown, it is cost-effective and probably the best investment that one can make to live a long and healthy life.

A diagnostic test, on the other hand, is a step to confirm the disease. Hence, the costs associated with it are much higher, as it is followed by multiple clinical inspections, to establish a diagnosis and treatment options.

We hope to have put all your questions regarding screening vs. diagnosis to rest. Now you can take an informed decision and make health screening a part of your routine. It is the best way to detect diseases early and stay a step ahead of them at all times. Remember, early detection saves lives. Schedule your health screening today.

Over the years, we have witnessed an incredible amount of progress in modern healthcare technology, and Artificial Intelligence is all set to be the next big step in the field of medical diagnosis. Artificial Intelligence describes the ability of computer programs and machines to mimic human intelligence. But the moment we hear the term “artificial intelligence or AI”, we visualise robots performing tasks that are meant for us to do, thus rendering humans obsolete.

However, in reality, robotics and robotic technology is just one aspect of AI in healthcare. Rather than robotics, AI in healthcare helps doctors and hospitals access a vast database of potentially life-saving information. The role of artificial intelligence in modern healthcare uses a Man & Machine, instead of Man Vs Machine approach to ensure better outcomes and best possible patient care. It is a powerful combination of people, process and technology, making the medical investigation more accessible, accurate and affordable with the help of advanced machinery and technology first solutions.

Here are a few advantages to help you understand how Ai in healthcare can change the dynamics of medical diagnosis, for the better.

AI in healthcare promotes accessibility

According to the World Health Organisation, uneven access to health services results in an 18.1-year gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest countries. Access to quality healthcare is still a distant dream in several countries across the globe. Due to a lack of proper medical support and qualified medical help, people living in these countries face the risk of dying due to a lack of timely medical access.

Ai in healthcare can work wonders in such a scenario. With the help of Ai-enabled modern healthcare technology, one can efficiently create an accessible digital healthcare ecosystem. It will help patients virtually explain the symptoms and receive the necessary treatment without delay in diagnosis. Many applications are now available to provide quick assistance to people, all thanks to Ai in healthcare.

AI-driven tools help accurately ascertain health risks early

The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare is to successfully accumulate and store patient’s medical records in a single place. This database of medical information can be accessed easily at any given point in time to check previous and current health issues of an individual. This easy access to past medical records gives a comprehensive health report of the patient, allowing the physician to make a more accurate diagnosis. The database helps compile millions of symptoms, causes and diagnosis, allowing the Ai-enabled technology to predict potential health problems a person can have in the future. Thus, enabling healthcare specialists to anticipate potential threats and avoid them by taking appropriate measures. This predictive analysis helps improve the overall operational management of healthcare facilities.

Use of AI in healthcare can help save both time and money

An advantage of Ai in healthcare is the time, and energy one saves with its support, which is needed, to accurately examine and diagnose diseases. Ai-enabled technology having access to a vast database of information is equipped with various algorithms to specify biomarkers that can detect certain illnesses in the human body. It considerably reduces the strenuous manual work, saving precious time to help save a person’s life. These algorithms are more cost-efficient. Application of this Ai-enabled technology in healthcare systems ensures one no longer needs to undergo the various expensive lab tests, which are otherwise required to diagnose a disease precisely. These are a few reasons for the speedy adoption of Ai in healthcare over the last few years, and it is all set to change the face of modern healthcare technology in the years to come.

To catch cancer earlier, we need to predict who is going to get it in the future. The complex nature of forecasting risk has been bolstered by artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Health screening is often the most misunderstood word in the world of healthcare. A preventive health check-up or health screening is for healthy individuals and is the most effective way to detect underlying diseases and conditions early. It helps you be aware of your health risks and get the right treatment at the right time to avoid life-threatening consequences. 

However, in a country like India, the voluntary adoption of preventive health care is bleak, and the word health screening is often confused as a routine health check-up or a diagnostic test. This misconception also gives rise to scepticism about the effectiveness and the credibility of preventive health check-up. 

Hence, we are in a catch 22 situation where lack of awareness gives rise to several myths surrounding health screening and preventive health care, which, in turn, is to be blamed for the lack of early adoption of preventive health check-up in our country. So, we have decided to help you, understand what a health screening is by debunking 5 of the most common misconceptions that cloud its reality.  

Myth 1: Once cleared during a previous preventive health check-up, one doesn’t need a health screening again.

Fact: It is the most commonly mistaken belief that makes the adoption of health screening less effective. A safe result from your previous health screening does not mean you are clear of health risks today. Your last health screening declared you safe, based on your health condition while taking the screening test. Certain lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cancer are more likely to develop with age. Thus, regular health screening is needed to detect these life-threatening conditions that may have emerged after your previous screening. A health screening or a preventive health check-up is not a one-time activity; it is a routine application, which helps you take charge of your life.

Myth 2: It’s enough to go for a preventive health check-up or health screening once every 3 years.

Fact: It is yet another myth, which needs to be busted right away.  The timing and frequency of your health screening should be determined basis your doctors’ advice. Several factors play a role in deciding when you should go for a preventive health check and how often you need one. Your family physician will assess your health risks basis your age, race, gender, genes and personal medical history, and assist you further.

Myth 3: Going for a basic preventive health check-up or health screening is enough. 

Fact: Even though a basic health check-up is generally enough for younger people with no personal or family history of medical conditions, it may not be sufficient for older patients or those with existing health issues. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to health screening it needs to be tailored, keeping in mind the risk factors of an individual. Thus, checking with your family physician is the best way to understand which health screening package one should choose.

Myth 4: When feeling fine, one doesn’t need to go for a health screening.

Fact: On the contrary, a health screening is for healthy, asymptomatic individuals who want to ascertain their health risks to stay a step ahead of diseases. A Health screening or preventive health check-up picks up a medical condition at an early stage when it presents no visible signs or symptoms of the disease. So, the best time to go for a health screening is when you look and feel completely healthy. 

Myth 5: Health screening is uncomfortable and can be a painful process.

Fact: It is due to this misconception that voluntary adoption of early screening is so low in our country. Even after knowing the credibility of various health screening tests in catching diseases early, people often avoid them due to the fear of pain and discomfort. One must remember that not all screening tests are unpleasant. There are only a select few procedures that can be painful. Even then, the presence of advanced technology and experienced staff can help alleviate the pain and discomfort to a great extent.

So, wait no longer, adopt preventive health care and invest in your health today, to live a long and disease-free life tomorrow. Early screening saves live. Get yourself screened now. 

Fujifilm’s AI development initiative will harness the power of AI to enhance its imaging and informatics healthcare Synapse® portfolio which includes Synapse PACS, Synapse Cardiovascular, and Synapse VNA among other solutions.