Health

Tips for Helping Children Cope With Scanxiety

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Children and teens may need imaging scans at a hospital or clinic for many reasons, including broken bones, headaches, trouble breathing, or abdominal pain. Children with cancer, however, will need scans much more frequently — to monitor their response to cancer treatment or to check for recurrence in the years following.

These different scenarios all have a common denominator: Having a scan and waiting for the results can cause a lot of distress, a nagging state of mind known as “scanxiety.”

Symptoms of scanxiety may include headache, stomachache, chest pain, increased heart rate, and sweaty palms, says Karen Moody, MD, a professor in the department of pediatrics patient care at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. These symptoms “can be disruptive to activities of daily living by interrupting sleep, focus, and mood,” she says.

Scanxiety can make it more difficult for scans to be performed, whether it’s computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or another type of scan. Here are some tips to help your child cope with scanxiety and get through their next scan successfully.

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