The relevance of chest x-ray examination is that at present this procedure is one of the most accessible and widespread, allowing timely determination of the presence of doubtful, potentially diseased areas in the respiratory system. If a blackout is detected in the picture, a person is sent for additional studies or a control analysis is prescribed after 6-12 months, after which a diagnosis is made and a treatment is selected.
General information
The uniqueness of the fluorographic examination of the chest organs is the probability of detecting tuberculosis at an early stage. It so happened that it is quite difficult for an adult to protect himself from this disease, especially if the lifestyle forces him to be in harmful conditions, to constantly contact people. There may be other external aggressive factors that significantly increase the risk of the disease. If, after infection, the disease was detected in the initial phase, the therapeutic course will be relatively simple, and the person will practically notwill lose as everyday life. But the detection of pathology in the early stages is possible only through X-ray examination, that is, fluorography.
Today, there are no questions related to how to undergo a fluorographic examination: all students officially employed in most institutions and enterprises are required to regularly examine the state of the respiratory system. Specialized vehicles go to the place of study or work of a certain team, and everyone, without exception, passes through the apparatus. If the company does not order such a car or the person did not get to the event, if the citizen does not work anywhere and does not study, he can come to a polyclinic convenient for him and sign up for the procedure through the registry in the near future. The event is available to everyone, completely free of charge, since fluorographic analyzes are included in the social federal program for protecting the he alth of the nation.
Current status
In our time, the organization of a fluorographic examination of the population is entrusted to he alth care institutions, enterprises in which people work, and educational institutions. Mass surveys conducted from year to year have become familiar to many, but recently a new practice of sample survey has been introduced. It is mandatory to undergo an x-ray for those who are involved in working with people, employed at a medical enterprise. Fluorography is mandatory if a citizen works in the fieldproduction, sale of food products, in animal husbandry and other similar areas. A complete list that is relevant for a particular day can be obtained from the legislative acts in force in the country.
If a person does not belong to the listed group, for him the answer to the question of how often a fluorographic examination is recommended to take place is somewhat different: the procedure is shown once every two years. This frequency is optimal, confirmed by studies, but some come for analysis even less frequently.
Risks and dangers
And under the old laws, some ignored their duties and did not visit a doctor for five years, or even longer. The main purpose of a fluorographic examination is to detect tuberculosis at an early stage, so a person who refuses to visit the apparatus risks his he alth and future. There are many cases of detection of the disease at an advanced stage, when the body received irreparable harm. The more severe the form, the more problematic the case, the more difficult it is to find an effective therapeutic course. Every year, the progress of the pathology (which at first goes completely unnoticed by the patient) is accompanied by a significant risk of the disease becoming incurable.
Do not be afraid of the frequency of fluorographic examination specified in the laws. Even from old memory, people who knew about the consequences of radiation sickness are afraid to take x-rays in order to reduce the radiation dose received in a lifetime. There is no need to panic: in our time, modern and efficient installations are being produced, the work of which is associated withgeneration of the minimum radiation dose. These volumes are so low that they do not pose a danger to either adults or children. Despite numerous studies conducted on this issue, it has not been possible to identify a single evidence of the danger of the procedure, the harm from it.
Neglecting your he alth is a risk to life
Doctors urge: the passage of a fluorographic examination can save a person's life. This is due to the incidence of tuberculosis. Studies conducted annually show that the number of cases is constantly increasing. This trend is characteristic of different countries, and Russia is one of them. At the same time, tension in society is growing, fears about fluorography: it seems to many that there will be more harm than good, and that tuberculosis will never affect them. Statistics collected by medical institutions contradict the popular belief that the risks are great for everyone.
With certain symptoms, you should not wait for the next period of fluorography, but you should contact the clinic for a detailed examination as soon as possible. The results of a fluorographic examination are vital if a person feels tired, lethargic, uninterested in the environment for no reason, quite often notes an increase in temperature to a subfebrile level, extremely rarely - higher, while the sources of the symptom cannot be identified. Tuberculosis may be indicated by a prolonged cough with or without sputum production. These manifestations are a reason to usethe services of a qualified doctor who will listen to the lungs and send for fluorography, after which he will analyze the resulting image. Even if the previous examination was completed only a few months ago, if there is a doctor's recommendation, you should undergo the procedure as soon as possible.
Different stages - equal relevance
Regular fluorographic examination of workers, students, unemployed citizens of our country, pensioners is the key to the timely detection of tuberculosis patients. If infection with mycobacterium is established, adherence to the regularity of the procedure becomes especially important. Infection is indicated by a positive tuberculin skin test. The risks of pathological processes for such citizens are significantly higher than for those who are not infected with the bacterium.
If a woman is expecting a child soon, all relatives should undergo a fluorographic examination. If it is impossible to undergo the procedure in a timely manner, you should come to the clinic immediately after the birth of the child. A tuberculin test can show infection of a minor citizen. In this case, a fluorographic examination becomes a mandatory annual procedure for a person. For the first time, an infected person should be observed by a phthisiatrician. A person is en titled to a full-fledged dispensary study. In some cases, doctors may decide to send a citizen to a hospital.
Attention to detail
Carrying out fluorographicexaminations are the most effective, safe and accurate method for determining the pathological process occurring in the respiratory system. If the disease is defined and localized, the doctor has chosen a therapeutic course, and the patient strictly follows his recommendations, it is possible to cope with the problem without residual degenerative changes. There are practically no consequences, complications, traces. A neglected form poses considerable risks, including for human life.
However, do not underestimate the benefits of a fluorographic examination: this procedure helps not only to detect the first signs of tuberculosis in a timely manner, but also reveals minor neoplasms in the bronchial tree, heart and blood vessels. It is through fluorography that you can randomly (during the passage of a preventive examination on schedule) detect a small tumor. The picture will not allow you to make an accurate diagnosis, but will make it clear that a complete and detailed study of the state of the body is necessary. The initial destructive processes, the degeneration of the cellular structures of the respiratory system in other ways (not by fluorography) usually cannot be determined.
Tuberculosis: features
This terrible disease, which can help determine the fluorographic examination, is an infection with mycobacterium. Currently, doctors are actively exploring the features of the epidemiology of pathology. Doctors already have a considerable database regarding the methods of spread of infection, the frequency of occurrencediseases among different groups of people. Know who is most at risk.
It's no secret that tuberculosis is an exclusively social disease, closely related to the conditions of human life, the culture of the population and material opportunities. In many ways, the prevalence of pathology is determined by population density, the tendency of people to migrate and accept migrants from other countries. Typical housing plays a role, the he alth care system, environmental conditions of life. Tuberculosis is considered a medical and social problem.
You can become infected with tuberculosis from a sneezing, coughing, talking patient, because with all these actions a person releases pathogenic microorganisms into the environment. It is impossible to predict how great the risks of meeting with an active form of the disease in everyday life are, but the more often we use public transport and are in crowded places, the more significant they are. For this reason, fluorographic examination of the population is carried out massively and quite often. The system was developed on the idea of increased risks of infection for everyone without exception. Certain hazards are associated with persons suffering from extrapulmonary forms of the disease. They spread mycobacteria with other body secretions - various substances coming out of fistulas.
Risks for all
Pathological processes are the result of the influence of mycobacteria on organic tissues. The likelihood of their onset upon contact with the pathogen is determined by the person's susceptibility to infection. Normally, an ordinary person has a fairly high abilityresist mycobacteria. It depends on a number of factors: gender, age, the presence of pathologies, living conditions. Scientists know groups of people for whom the susceptibility to the disease is especially high.
According to studies, the first meeting with an infectious object is safe for most modern people, the disease does not begin, and if pathological processes do start, they affect only small areas of the lymphatic system, not spreading enough to talk about a serious problem. Mycobacterium can develop in the body for many years, in some colonies live in the pulmonary system throughout a person's life. Without multiplying, the infectious agent does not lose the ability to survive in uncomfortable conditions, and as soon as they change, the pathology enters the active stage. This explains why the fluorographic examination of the population of older age groups is so important. The older the person, the weaker the body's defenses, the higher the risk of transforming the carriage of mycobacteria into active infection.
Disease: nuances of pathology
Organization of a fluorographic examination with the participation of an impressive percentage of the population makes it possible to detect the disease in people who have just become ill, as well as in those who suffer from tuberculosis with atypical symptoms. The manifestations of pathology, as doctors have established, are quite diverse. On average, 15% of the diseased have no symptoms at all for many decades, which means that making a diagnosis is almost impossible. Man not passingfluorography, not suffering from typical manifestations of the disease or neglecting to visit the doctor because of the symptoms, spreads the disease in society for a long time. Tuberculosis, latent in one patient, unidentified, not detected in time, is a factor in infection of up to 15 people annually.
To determine the risks for a particular population, doctors calculate infection rates. Based on the data obtained, the recommended frequency of an X-ray image of the pulmonary system is established. Infection is a percentage that reflects how many of the people tested showed a positive response to tuberculin. The older the people, the more infected. Already by the age of forty, the probability of a positive answer reaches 90%. Scientists have found that approximately every third inhabitant of the planet is infected with mycobacterium.
The risk of infection is determined by a special method. It reflects the relationship between patients with different types of disease. Approximately every tenth infected sooner or later becomes ill with tuberculosis. If an infected minor is found, the child should be referred for chemotherapy. Isoniazid preparations are used to prevent transformation into an acute stage. A number of studies have shown that nine out of ten patients have previously been identified as infected.
Features of checks
Fluorographic examination, regularly carried out among the adult population, is the main way to prevent the disease. It is possible to detect pathology in the shortest possible time, onstage when there are no symptoms. Responsibility for conducting surveys and working with the population lies with the chief doctors of medical institutions, hygiene, epidemiological centers and persons managing he alth centers, central district hospitals, sanitary stations and hospitals assigned to specific areas.
Although it is normal to take pictures once a year or two, in some cases there may be a deviation from this rule. The region may issue an order dedicated to fluorographic examination, establishing a specialized frequency of procedures for the area. At the same time, they are guided by information about the epidemiological situation. For example, in favorable conditions, a one-time study with a three-year frequency may be sufficient, and in tense conditions, each person is shown to be checked annually, and even more often for some individual categories facing increased risk. Preventive measures can be carried out selectively, there are continuous ones, to which all citizens over the age of seventeen are involved. Such checks are organized within the locality, regional, when there are recommendations from the authorities responsible for the epidemiological situation.
To whom and how
When accepting orders on the rules and frequency of fluorographic examinations, responsible persons must take into account that selective measures are mandatory annually, and the contingent for such measures is people, to a greater extent than others,at risk of getting sick. Mandatory group - citizens who can infect a large number of people. This includes those who, at work, are in contact with minors, working in the field of education, upbringing, medicine, and sports. These include the staff of maternity hospitals and employees of resorts and sanatoriums. It is obligatory to undergo examinations annually for those who work in stalls and stores offering food, packaging, and other goods that help sell food. A special approach is required to those who serve the population - employees of baths, saunas, pharmacies, ateliers and other organizations in a similar area.
When issuing orders on fluorography, responsible persons should separately discuss the rules for examining seventeen-year-old students and older people if they are still studying in schools, institutions of secondary, higher, professional, general academic profile. Without fail, pictures are taken by those who settle in a hostel, undergo an internship, if the work of the enterprise is related to the above industries.
It is important to regularly undergo a fluorographic examination for the personnel of farms and complexes engaged in livestock, dairy production and the manufacture of other agricultural, livestock products. Working with cattle is associated with increased risks of contracting tuberculosis, which was the reason for the introduction of such a standard. In addition, the conscripts are a group of citizens who need a fluorographic picture.
Risk and control
Responsibility forregular activities, analysis of images and control over those in need of further research is entrusted to hygienic, epidemiological centers responsible for settlements or areas.
It must be taken into account that the risks of contracting tuberculosis are especially high for people who do not have a permanent and fixed place of residence. Also, the dangers are significant for migrants, internally displaced persons, refugees. It is known from medical statistics that those imprisoned in places of forced stay, correctional facilities, as well as those released from them, are a category of people who are more likely to be infected with mycobacterium. They speak of belonging to this risk group within two years after graduation from a specialized institution. The danger of tuberculosis is greater for chronic alcoholics and drug addicts. Regular x-rays should be taken for those who live in homes for the elderly, as well as flophouses.
Dangers of infection with mycobacterium with a quick transition to an acute form are inherent in AIDS patients, HIV-infected, diabetics, patients with pneumoconiosis, COPD. Risks are associated with previously transferred exudative pleurisy, peptic ulcer disease of the gastrointestinal tract. More often, tuberculosis is determined in clients of hospitals working in the field of psychiatry and narcology. Dangers are associated with hormonal, radiation therapy and treatment with cytostatics. A separate category of risk is X-ray positive citizens. The dangers are associated with the woman's recovery period following childbirth.
Whatnext?
If fluorography showed pulmonary changes, within 48 hours it is necessary to call a person for an additional examination, and information about the event is entered into the citizen's individual card. If no pathology is found, the card is kept for at least five years. With pathological changes, the duration of storage reaches a decade. An untimely detected disease is a case that requires careful analysis and formulation of the reasons that did not allow identifying the pathology at an early stage.
