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Screening for diseases versus screening for health status
Disease screening aims to identify individuals at risk for specific conditions. It is expected that an early detection allows for early intervention, with improved outcomes. However, large scale screening programs may not only have implications on resources, patient outcomes may not improve but may worsen if screening for the targeted disease has not been carefully designed and executed. On the other hand, a gradience in association between the measured value in health assessment and future risks of diseases may exist for many measures such as body weight, blood pressure, and biochemical test results.