What Are the Dangers of Multiple CT Scans?

The use of CT scans, also known as CAT scans, has skyrocketed in the past 20 years. According to a Dec. 14, 2009 CBS News account, in 1980 3 million CT scans were performed. In 2007 the number of CT scans performed was roughly 70 million. With CT scans becoming somewhat of a normal procedure, it's important to understand that there are some dangers associated with CT scans, and that the risk only increases with the number of scans you receive.

Radiation Exposure

• According to the Mayo Clinic, CT scans, which are used primarily to take internal images of the body, expose you to significantly more radiation then a normal X-ray. These high doses of radiation exposure can "potentially increases your risk of developing cancer." This is why it's important to make sure the hospital you go to is accredited for use of CT scans. According to CBS News, a California hospital is being investigated for giving 250 patients much more than the needed dose of radiation per CT scan. Other accounts of such practices are beginning to come to light elsewhere in the country.

Reactions to Contrast Materials

• In some CT scans, intravenous (IV) contrast material is used. Although uncommon, this material can sometimes cause allergic reactions. According to the Mayo Clinic, "in rare instances, an allergic reaction can be serious and potentially life-threatening."

  The Mayo Clinic also claims that the risk for this type of allergic reaction increases if you have a history of heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney disease or thyroid disorder.

Loss of Hair

• In a growing number of cases, in conjunction with possible over-exposure from their CT scans, patients are claiming that they have experienced patchy hair loss in the aftermath of a CT scan. According to CBS News, an Alabama school teacher named Becky Coudert had a brain CT scan and subsequently began to "develop a broad band of baldness from one temple to the other, from around the back of the head."