Hopedale Medical Complex offers a variety of screenings!

We urge you to be proactive and find out your risks for common diseases and conditions. Hopedale Medical Complex offers you a number of screenings to determine your risks.

Screenings include:

• Cholesterol
• Asthma (Spirometry)
• Diabetes
• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
• Carotid artery (stroke)

We often offer other screenings. We invite you to revisit our website to learn more about the additional screenings. They will be posted on our home page and on this page.

Information on some common screenings

Cholesterol screening is done with a simple finger stick. There is no need for a blood draw. After fasting for twelve hours, the finger stick is done and your results for total cholesterol, HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol), triglycerides and glucose are available immediately.

Why test for cholesterol?  High cholesterol can lead to coronary artery disease or stroke. It's important that you have your cholesterol tested when you are in your 20s, and then every five years after that at a minimum.

Asthma screening is completed by a common test called Spirometry. Through the use of a Spirometer, the professionals at Hopedale Medical Complex can measure the amount and the rate of air that can be moved through a person's lungs.

Why test for asthma? Asthma is a disease of the bronchial tubes or airways of the lungs and can be fatal. You should be tested if any of the following apply to you:

• Ex-smokers
• Those who are short of breath or with a cough that will not go away
• A family history of bronchitis or emphysema
• A whistling sound when breathing

Diabetes screening is done with the aid of a blood glucose test. This test is done with a small finger stick that is used to determine the level of sugars in your blood. Using the resulting reading, our professionals can tell you if you need to consult your doctor to determine if you have diabetes.

Why test for diabetes?  Millions of people have diabetes and do not know it. However, with early detection and treatment, the more likely it is that the serious health consequences of diabetes can be prevented or delayed. You should be tested if any of the following apply to you:

• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)
• Obesity (a body mass index greater than or equal to 30kg/m2)
• Previous identification of an elevated impaired fasting glucose or glucose intolerance

OR if at least 2 of the following apply to you:

• Overweight (a body mass index greater than 25 but less than 30kg/m2
• Family history of diabetes
• Age 65 or older
• A history of gestational diabetes mellitus, or delivery of a baby weighing greater than 9 pounds

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Screening:  This involves getting your arm pressures and your ankle pressures and calculating the ration between the ankle and the arm pressures to get your ankle/brachial index (ABI).  This index (or ratio) will tell us if the circulation in your legs is normal.  If your ABI is abnormal it means that you may have some plaque build up in one or more of your leg arteries affecting the arterial flow in your legs.  You are encouraged to discuss your screening results with your primary physician, even if they are considered normal. For more information about these screenings email the Vascular Lab at vasculardept@hopedalemc.com or call 309-449-4226.

Why test for PAD?  PAD risk factors parallel those for heart disease and include diabetes, tobacco use, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Screening is recommended for everyone with diabetes over age 50. Other high-risk groups -- the elderly, current smokers, African-Americans, and people with reduced kidney function -- should also be considered for screening.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening:   We use ultrasound imaging, a simple and painless method, to obtain pictures of the abdominal aorta and measure the largest diameter of the vessel.  These pictures will show if you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
 
On the left is an ultrasound image of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with mural thrombus (clot) present.
 
The screening usually takes about 10 minutes and you need to be fasting to have this screening performed.  Otherwise bowel gas from your normal digestive process will interfere with the ability to obtain clear ultrasound images.
 
You will be asked to lie on your back and pull up your shirt or blouse to your ribcage. For more information about these screenings email the Vascular Lab at vasculardept@hopedalemc.com or call 309-449-4226.

Why test for AAA?  Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common vascular disease condition affecting men age 65 and older.  Smoking is the strongest risk factor. Even if you smoked as few as 100 cigarettes in your lifetime and stopped smoking decades ago, you still have this risk factor.

Carotid Artery Disease (Stroke Screen):  We use ultrasound imaging, a simple and painless method, to obtain pictures of the carotid artery on each side of your neck. These pictures will show if you have any narrowing of the artery caused by plaque, also known as “hardening of the arteries” and atherosclerosis.  You are encouraged to discuss your screening results with your primary physician, even if they are considered normal. For more information about these screenings email the Vascular Lab at vasculardept@hopedalemc.com or call 309-449-4226.

Why test for Carotid Artery?  Carotid artery disease and stroke affect people of increasing age (usually over 60 years), and is more common in men than in women. It is also seen more commonly in smokers, patients with high blood pressure, diabetics and those with high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia). Anyone over age 50, or over age 40 with risk factors for stroke, carotid artery disease, or atrial fibrillation (also known as irregular heartbeat), should have this screening.