The use of imaging technology such as MRI and CT scans tripled between 1996 and 2007, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
In emergency rooms alone, the use of such technology quadrupled since the mid 1990s, the AP reports.
The news comes on the heels of growing concerns that the tests are ordered too often, exposing people to potentially dangerous amounts of cancer-causing radiation and swelling the cost of health care. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration said it would begin trying to reduce unnecessary exposure to such tests, NPR reports.
The data come from an exhaustive report on the nation's health, including statistics on everything from the increased use of anti-diabetic drugs to the rise in kidney transplants.
A few highlights:
- In 2007, 20 percent of adults had visited the emergency room at least once in the past year. Seven percent had two or more visits.
- The racial gap in life expectancy is narrowing. Life expectancy for blacks increased more than for whites from 1990 through 2007. In 1990, whites' life expectancy was 7 years longer than for blacks. By 2007, it was 4.6 years longer. Overall life expectancy for the nation was 77.9 years.
- In 2007, about 20 percent of adults smoked cigarettes, a slight decrease from 21 percent in the previous 3 years. Men were more likely to smoke than women -- 22 percent vs. 17 percent
True health geeks can take a gander at the more 150 tables of data meant to provide a snapshot of the nation's health.
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