Although the doctors’ recommendations clearly say that the blood count should be performed every year, 35 percent. Internet users have never had this basic laboratory test – according to the data from the test “Morphology, a simple life-saving test”. The survey was conducted by the MedTvoiLokony website and the Urszula Jaworska Foundation. Effect? Detecting diseases only in advanced stages, when it is often too late for effective treatment.
We all know that prevention is better than cure. It seems that Poles’ health awareness is growing, especially among the young generation. Meanwhile, it is precisely in this age group that the situation is the worst.
An online poll also shows that one in five teenagers (up to 18 years of age) has never had a blood test.
Despite the fact that the morphology, allowing for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of blood morphotic elements, is the most frequently ordered examination by a doctor, as much as 8%. respondents aged 18-25 were never referred to them. And it is known that it allows not only to determine the cause of ailments, but should be performed for periodic health checks. With age, we are more and more aware of this and among respondents over 35 years of age. only 1 percent claims that he has never had this test done. With age, the trust in doctors also grows steadily. While in the group of young people under 18 it is at the level of 50%, in people over 65 it reaches 82%.
Prevention
Over the past 13 years, the frequency of performing morphology by Poles has significantly decreased. This is due to the fact that from May 1996 it ceased to be a compulsory examination ordered by an occupational medicine doctor. And today, although specialists recommend an annual examination, in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health regarding preventive examinations of employees, performing an annual morphology is recommended only for people from high-risk groups. This translates into the attitude of employers to this study, who, using the changed legal provisions, do not direct their employees to morphology. The data obtained from the test “Morphology, simple life-saving study” shows that as much as 28 percent. respondents were never referred to this survey. Even greater percentages were found in the age range 25-35 (38%) and 35-45 (32%). The percentage of employees who have never been referred by their employer for a blood test is the highest in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie (41%), Lubelskie (38%) and Opolskie (35%) provinces. The best places in this respect are Pomorskie (36%) and the voivodship Podkarpackie Province (34 percent). Most of the respondents are referred for the examination by a family doctor and perform a morphology free of charge in an outpatient clinic or hospital.
Why do a morphology?
Doctors argue that a blood count is a simple, cheap, non-burdening test that can reveal many diseases in the early stages of their development, when they are treatable. The morphology allows the diagnosis of leukemia, cancer of other organs, disorders of the thyroid gland and kidney failure. But knowledge about it is still insufficient in society. The problem begins with determining what this study is. Here the youngest internet users fared the most. Among people under 18 years of age as much as 52 percent knew that morphology is a study of the composition of circulating blood, and the best educated in this regard are the inhabitants of the Podkarpackie (34%) and Podlaskie (35%) provinces. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the Lower Silesia Voivodship were the worst informed – only 27 percent. knew the correct answer.
But when another question was asked about parameters that can be determined in morphology (possible answers: cholesterol, sugar, blood count disturbances), it turned out that people aged 18-25 (92%) know the most. People aged 65 and over performed the worst. Only 72 percent. of them gave the correct answer. The inhabitants of Małopolska (89%) showed the greatest knowledge, while the inhabitants of the Łódzkie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeships (84% each) showed the lowest.
As the cause of the decreased hemoglobin concentration, as much as 94%. of the respondents (in the range 45-55 and 55-65) indicated anemia. The largest percentage of Internet users who knew the correct answer (95%) came from the province Lower Silesia, Łódź and Greater Poland. Although a small percentage of respondents also mentioned liver disease and viral infection.
The question about the cause of the increased concentration of leukocytes was best answered by respondents over 55 years of age. As much as 87 percent of them indicated an infection. The most correct answers were given by the respondents from the voivodeship Lower Silesia, Masovia, Opole and Greater Poland.
79 percent of the respondents also knew that the determination of the morphology did not allow the detection of HCV. (82% of respondents aged 35-55). 84 percent knew that a serum anti-HCV antibody test was performed to confirm the presence of the virus that causes hepatitis C. As much as 87 percent respondents aged 45-65 gave the correct answer to this question. The inhabitants of Mazovia and Lower Silesia were the best (86% of correct answers).
The question about the potential routes of infection was best answered by respondents aged 25-45 – 89%. of them indicated contact with the blood of an infected person. Still, a small percentage of respondents (1 to 4%) believe that it is risky to shake hands or eat contaminated food or drink (from 9-21%).
Is it worth getting tested regularly?
With age, the number of positive declarations increases. 98 percent respondents over 55 years of age declares performing the morphology once a year. 96 percent Internet users aged 45-55 and 94 percent. in the range of 35-44. In the group of younger respondents, the situation is slightly worse. The willingness to perform morphology every year was reported by 86 percent. in the range of 25-18 and 74 percent. under 18 years of age