Iowa Radiology Blog

It’s been understood for decades that tobacco smoking is the single leading cause of lung cancer, causing an estimated 1.5 to 2 million deaths per year. Eighty-five percent of lung cancers occur in current or former smokers. This year, there is a new reason to quit smoking: COVID-19. Recent studies indicate that when infected with the novel coronavirus, tobacco smokers are more likely to develop severe infections, to need mechanical ventilation, and to die as a result of the illness. This is not surprising, given that smoking causes damage that inhibits the lungs’ ability to clean and repair themselves. Along with getting plenty of exercise, eating healthy, and managing stress, avoiding cigarettes is one if the top ways to keep your immune system in good working order during the pandemic.

The strategy of closing businesses and advising residents to stay at home is, by design, isolating. That’s good for limiting the damage that the coronavirus known as COVID-19 is able to inflict in our communities. Isolation, however, comes at a cost. In the best of circumstances, restrictions on where you can go, what you can do, and who you can see in person would be hard to deal with. The stress of a new, fast-spreading illness and uncertainty about the future make it even more troubling. How can these changes in our daily lives affect our health?

In a time when so much seems beyond our control, we want to control what we can. While it’s likely that many Americans will contract the coronavirus, the severity of any individual’s illness is difficult to predict. One thing we each can do is give our immune systems what they need to be in top shape to fight whatever comes our way. Here are seven ways you can support your immune system.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the U.S., accounting for approximately 25% of all deaths. Fortunately, many of the factors that contribute to heart disease are within your control. You can lower your risk by following these five tips. 

If you’re thinking about undergoing body composition analysis (BCA) to understand how to better manage your health, you may be tempted to shed pounds before getting on the scanning table. It can be most effective, however, to have BCA before beginning a diet and exercise regimen, while you’re in the midst of it, and after you’ve reached a goal. A detailed analysis of the proportions of fat, muscle, and bone in your body can serve as a valuable guide for your weight loss planning and help you maintain your results. 

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for one in four deaths. Last year, the American Heart Association reported that a staggering 48% of Americans are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and high blood pressure. Many factors influence your individual risk, and you can reduce or eliminate some, but not all, of these risk factors by adopting healthy behaviors.

Since 2017, Iowa law has required mammography providers to include information about breast density in mammography reports. You may have questions about what this information means for you, your health, and the effectiveness of your breast cancer screening.

Approximately one in eight women (12.5%) develops breast cancer in her lifetime. Because of the prevalence of breast cancer in women, doctors and medical associations recommend screening—looking for signs of disease when no symptoms are present. Mammography has been the gold standard of breast cancer detection for decades and remains a critical component of routine screening. Other technologies, however, can be valuable supplements—or in some cases, even replacements—for screening mammography.

Receiving a call after a screening mammogram is a source of worry for many women. While it’s natural to be concerned, it’s helpful to keep in mind that the vast majority of women who are called back for follow up after a mammogram (more than 9 in 10) are not found to have breast cancer.[1] This is because there are a number of benign conditions that can raise the suspicion of breast cancer when they appear on mammography images. To determine whether a feature found on a mammogram is actually cancer, your doctor will order follow-up testing.

Body composition analysis is the process of assessing the content of fat, muscle, and bone in the body. Body fat can be measured in a variety of ways, including using calipers to measure subcutaneous fat (fat stored beneath the skin), special scales, and hydrostatic weighing. While BMI is commonly used to determine whether a person is underweight, overweight, or obese, it is not an accurate measure of fat content in the body or risk of obesity-related disease. To get the most accurate and complete information, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry body composition analysis, better known as a DXA BCA, is the gold standard.