The viral issue

THE internet is a wonder enabling us to discover everything at the touch of a button, but we are guilty of relying too much on it.

According to a new report, 50% of women used the internet to check medical symptoms and one in four has misdiagnosed an illness by doing so. The research commissioned by a feminine health brand, Balance Activ, found the symptoms most likely to cause women to consult the internet were sleep problems, headaches, depression and anxiety. The most common false alarm is breast cancer.

Dr John Ball, of the Irish Association of General Practitioners (IAGP), says asking ‘Dr Google’ for a diagnosis can be a dangerous mistake. “The internet has an immense influence on providing medical care and up-to-date evidence-based information which can be searched very quickly and given to patients in a user-friendly manner. However, it is a dangerous place to make a self-diagnosis as so many symptoms overlap with different illnesses.