Are MRI scans bad for my health?
Though MRI and CT scans have been available, the PET-CT scan is able to provide vital additional functional or molecular information. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- People with certain medical devices including implants that contain iron such as some orthopaedic implants, and pacemakers, should not use MRIs
have been put on X-rays called MRI 15 times in one year. Do you think this is dangerous to my health? Oswald
Dear Oswald, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to take pictures of various parts of the body from which a diseased part may be assessed or discovered. MRI, therefore, unlike X-rays, does not use ionising radiation, which can damage the DNA of tissues it is exposed to risking the development of cancer in the affected tissues in future.
It is, therefore, not risky to use it frequently or repeatedly.
People with certain medical devices including implants that contain iron such as some orthopaedic implants, and pacemakers, should not use MRIs because the MRI's magnetic fields may pull on the implants, dislodging them and causing them to malfunction.
You could be confusing MRIs with CT (computerised tomography) scans, which should not be used as frequently as you did for MRIS.
CT scans, unlike MRIs, use ionising radiation, which although considered generally safe, too much or frequent exposure to people, especially children is likely to lead to cancer in adulthood.
