Adult Screenings by Age — What the Task Force Recommends

What this list is

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force publishes recommendations for preventive care. Its A and B recommendations are, in its words, "services that the Task Force most highly recommends implementing for preventive care." These services have a high or moderate net benefit for patients.

Grade A is the strongest recommendation. Grade B is also recommended, with a net benefit that is high or moderate.

The list below groups those A and B recommendations for adults in plain words, by who each one is for, as the Task Force words it.

For adults 18 and older

• Blood pressure screening — adults 18 years or older — Grade A. The Task Force says blood pressure should also be measured outside the clinic to confirm, before treatment starts.
• Depression screening — adults, including older adults — Grade B.
• Anxiety screening — adults age 64 or younger — Grade B.
• Unhealthy alcohol use screening, with brief counseling for people drinking in risky ways — adults 18 or older — Grade B.
• Unhealthy drug use screening, done by asking questions — adults 18 or older — Grade B.
• Tobacco use: clinicians ask all adults, advise stopping, and provide help to quit — Grade A.
• Hepatitis C screening — adults aged 18 to 79 — Grade B.
• HIV screening — adolescents and adults aged 15 to 65 — Grade A.
• Syphilis screening — people at increased risk — Grade A.
• Hepatitis B screening — adolescents and adults at increased risk — Grade B.
• Latent tuberculosis screening — adults at increased risk — Grade B.
• Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening — sexually active women age 24 or younger, and women 25 or older at increased risk — Grade B.
• Counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections — sexually active adolescents and adults at increased risk — Grade B.
• Healthy diet and physical activity counseling — adults who have risk factors for heart and blood-vessel disease — Grade B.
• Weight-loss programs (intensive, multi-part behavioral programs) — adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher — Grade B.

For women

• Cervical cancer screening — women aged 21 to 65 — Grade A. As the Task Force words it: ages 21–29, a Pap test every 3 years; ages 30–65, a Pap test every 3 years, or high-risk HPV testing every 5 years, or both together every 5 years.
• Breast cancer screening — mammography (an X-ray of the breast) every 2 years — women aged 40 to 74 — Grade B.
• Osteoporosis (bone thinning) screening — women 65 or older — Grade B; also women past menopause who are younger than 65 and at increased risk — Grade B.

Ages 35 to 75

• Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes screening — adults aged 35 to 70 who have overweight or obesity — Grade B.
• Statin medicine to prevent heart disease — adults aged 40 to 75 who have one or more risk factors (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, or unhealthy cholesterol) and an estimated 10-year risk of a heart event of 10% or greater — Grade B.
• Colorectal (colon) cancer screening — adults aged 45 to 49 — Grade B; adults aged 50 to 75 — Grade A.

By smoking history and at older ages

• Lung cancer screening — a yearly low-dose CT scan — adults aged 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and smoke now or quit within the past 15 years — Grade B. A "pack-year" is the Task Force's own measure of smoking history, in its wording.
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening — a one-time ultrasound — men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked — Grade B.
• Falls prevention — exercise programs to prevent falls — adults 65 or older who live at home and are at increased risk for falls — Grade B.

The Task Force also publishes separate recommendations for pregnancy and for children, which are not listed here. The full A and B list is at uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.