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Article: Screening
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SCREENING
Screening is performed to identify the presence of a disease or a risk factor for a disease, typically among asymptomatic persons (those who do not already manifest symptoms of disease). In this way, a disease, or risk factors for a disease, can be detected early, allowing either early treatment or prevention, including preventing further spread of communicable or transmissible diseases. Screening tests are widely used by clinicians as part of the periodic health examination, as well as by public health officials. Examples of screening tests are as varied as blood tests to detect lead poisoning in young children, blood tests to detect the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), ...