BRATTLEBORO — Life Line Screening offers preventive health screenings at First United Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 4.
In recognition of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, included are take-home colorectal cancer tests called FIT, for Fecal Immunochemical Test. These tests are simple, accurate, and recommended for the early detection of colorectal cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cited by Life Line Screening in a press release, the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age such that more than 90 percent of cases occur in people aged 50 and older.
Other screenings will check for stroke risk, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and osteoporosis.
Screenings are billed as fast, painless and affordable. Three key tests check for blocked carotid arteries, an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, and high blood pressure - the three leading risk factors for stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Eighty percent of strokes can be prevented through strategies such as early testing, according to Life Line Screening, a privately run health screening company founded in Cleveland in 1993.
Screening packages start at $139. Single tests cost approximately $60.