'One CT scan is equal to 300 chest X-rays,' Guleria warns about cancer risk

Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, issued a warning on Monday about the misuse of CT scans and biomarkers by patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms, stating that the overuse of CT scans increases exposure to radiation, which increases the risk of cancer.

"There is no point in performing CT scans for mild cases; one can find patches in a CT scan even if asymptomatic but can be easily healed 1 #CTScan = 300-400 Chest X-rays! For children, having repeated CTs increases their risk of developing cancer later in life" Guleria issued a warning, stating that data from the International Atomic Energy Commission for radiation safety and medicine have shown an increased risk of cancer in later life due to frequent CT scans, especially if done at a young age.

Guleria addressed the abuse of diagnosis, claiming that it is not necessary in cases of mild symptoms. "A lot of people are getting CT scans and believe it's necessary to get CT scans if their Covid tests come out positive," he said. He cited a study that found patches in the CT scans of 30-40% of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients that cleared up without treatment. He used the study to demonstrate that in the case of a mild infection, with no problems or decrease in saturation, there is no need for a CT scan because some patches would appear.

Furthermore, he claimed that biomarkers such as CRP, D-Dimer, LDH, Ferritin, and others are useless in cases of mild symptoms and normal saturation levels because they only trigger panic reactions. "All of these biomarkers are acute phase reactants, which means they can skyrocket if there is some kind of inflammation in the body. These biomarkers will rise if you have acne or a zit, or if you have an injury or infection in your teeth, as this is your body's inflammatory response. As a result, it is unable to reliably determine if the viral disease has spread" AIIMS director said.

Unnecessary dependence on biomarkers can lead to over-treatment, which can be harmful to the body. "Only use biomarkers if you have a mild illness and on the advice of your physicians," Guleria advised.

According to data from the Union Health Ministry, on Monday, India recorded more than 368,000 new Covid-19 infections and 3417 fatalities in the last 24 hours.