Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12445

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Carli P, Graffin B, Gisserot O, Landais C, Paris JF.
[Non-diseases: Another field for the specialist of internal medicine.]
Rev Med Interne 2007 Sep 12;
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VMG-4PN07JR-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=20c79218db3c628c5a2b6454157373d6

Abstract:

PURPOSE: Non-diseases are a heterogeneous group of symptoms, preoccupations or phenomenon that are felt or interpreted as pathological and so justifiable of medical intervention. Most doctors easily recognize illnesses that require no medical act. However, as a result of a medical misinterpretation or wrong reasoning, physicians may diagnose a non-disease and prescribe a non adapted treatment. KEY POINTS: This non exhaustive literature review, gives examples of anatomical, clinical, investigational, iatrogenic, psychiatric and collective non-diseases. Health education of the population, initial and continuing education of general and specialist practitioners and continuous assessment of advertising by the pharmaceutical industry are probably useful to limit the provision of medical care of non-pathological problems, which excessively request the physicians. CONCLUSION: The specialist of internal medicine, because of a wide knowledge of the medical specialities, has to recognize and learn the frequent traps of non-diseases.