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CT scan safety

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 23 hours ago | Replies (16)

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@kdiago1564

I too was/am paranoid about how often I'm getting x-rays and CT scans—especially since I'm relatively young and will need many more scans throughout my lifetime. The last time I questioned my respiratory nurse who works closely with my doctor, she told me that a CT scan is 20x the radiation of a chest x-ray, however the article I link to below from Harvard says a CT chest scan is more like 70x the amount of a chest x-ray.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging
This article from MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering) is also very helpful and puts it in perspective.
https://www.mskcc.org/news/scan-safety-radiation-reality-check#:~:text=If%20the%20scans%20are%20justified,time%20interval%20required%20between%20scans.

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Replies to "I too was/am paranoid about how often I'm getting x-rays and CT scans—especially since I'm relatively..."

there is a lower radiation CT scan available for lung issues. You can ask your Dr about it. I had one and although it does not show as much as the regular it was enough to tell my Pulmo what he needed to know. It also took much less time than the regular one.