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A comment on Why Some Doctors Hesitate to Screen Smokers for Lung Cancer (2015). Parent comment

Re:Why Some Doctors Hesitate to Screen Smokers for Lung Canc... by JamesBarney on Thursday April 04, 2019 @02:48PM (#19575774)
Most diseases have some human choices involved. Living in a city with bad smoke, not running every day, poor diet, or drinking.

Maybe you're perfect and run every day, living in the country side, only eat fruits and vegetable and have never had a cigarette or beer your entire life.

But most of us aren't perfect. And honestly if you are the perfect specimen you are going to cost society far more because everyone dies of something. And slowly dying of alzheimer's disease in your late 90's is way more expensive because you'll live in in a nursing home with full time care for your last ten year and you've been using medicare and social security for 30 years.

Dying in your 50's from lung cancer is it's own punishment.

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Re:Why Some Doctors Hesitate to Screen Smokers for Lung Canc... by thatcat on Thursday April 04, 2019 @04:21PM (#19576682)
I think you're oversimplifying the situation. Alzheimers could be caused by human choice and 40 years of human life has more than monetary value.
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Re:Why Some Doctors Hesitate to Screen Smokers for Lung Canc... by JamesBarney on Thursday April 04, 2019 @04:54PM (#19576996)
As does the life of a smoker.

And cardiovascular disease and exercise definitely seem to influence Alzheimers. Nigerians for instances have high rates of APOE4 but very low rates of Alzheimers and I think the reason is they also have very low levels of cholesterol.

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