Q: How accurate are those health questionnaires that you find on the internet that try to tell you if you have cancer or are at risk of a heart attack or stroke? I have a friend who is always checking up on health issues on the internet, and she is constantly worried that she has some disease or another.
A: Canadians are among the world’s largest consumers of over-the-counter medications such as cold cures, painkillers and antihistamines.
Since Canadians are also more frequently “wired” to the internet even than Americans, if you put two and two together, you can see that many individuals could become “cyberchondriacs” like your friend.
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This term was coined recently by a writer, Damian Thompson in the British Daily Telegraph, to describe people who spend hours searching the internet for health information and fill in on-line forms in the way you describe.
The result is often increased anxiety because such people become convinced that they are suffering from a deadly disease.
The information gathered on the internet can be useful if the person is not able to see the family doctor in a timely fashion, or is too embarrassed to ask a certain question regarding a health concern.
The problem is that many symptoms are quite vague, so the computer diagnosis can be misleading.
For example, nasty diseases like syphilis, measles or meningitis could all have symptoms of fever, rash, cough and headaches, but only proper examination and testing by a doctor will determine the difference. Most likely the sufferer only has something simple and treatable like sinusitis or a mild viral infection.
Trustworthy information
How can you tell the difference between a reputable website and one that may offer misleading or dangerous information? One clue is to look for information from well-known medical journals or universities. These articles may sometimes be hard to understand, but if you print a copy and take it to your doctor, he might help you with it. One reputable source of information is www.netdoctor.co.uk.
Netdoctor’s medical advisers include professors of medicine and other highly qualified individuals. The Health Canada website can be found at www.hc-sc.gc.ca. This is not as easy to follow as the English site, and is more general in its approach, being more oriented toward disease prevention and public health.
Sites that may not be so reputable are often owned by the manufacturers or distributors of a certain health-care product, where the bottom line is to sell you something.
I believe your friend might be better off to avoid looking up health matters on the internet if it distresses her. Other people who may be interested in on-line health questionnaires should stick to simple ones that determine, for example, if they are suffering from a cold or are overweight.
Other self-assessment tools include blood sugar monitors for diabetics, home blood pressure machines and home pregnancy tests. Even these can sometimes be faulty, so there is still a need to check with the doctor.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
