GPs have warned patients against buying medical diagnoses on the Internet and advised caution in attempting a self-diagnosis.
The number of websites offering medical diagnoses has increased dramatically in recent years. Inputting the words "medical diagnosis" into one search engine will yield more than two million results.
Most of these websites are American, and some seek subscription fees or once-off payments for making a diagnosis.
After taking visitors through a table of symptoms, one US website offers a "comprehensive diagnosis" for $19 (€16.73 ) or an express diagnosis for $14.50 (€12.77). Another offers medical diagnosis software for $65 (€57.25).
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has advised consumers to steer clear of websites seeking money for making a diagnosis.
It also warned against buying medication off websites and said people had no idea what they were buying.
Virtually every medication is available for purchase on the Internet, from Viagra to slimming pills to the MMR vaccine.
Inputting the words "on-line pharmacy" into a search engine will return more than 1.3 million results.
Dr James Reilly, chairman of the IMO's GP committee, said GPs would encourage people to be well informed about their health and to use whatever means were available to do this. "But many of these websites are not what they first appear to be, and the information could cause more alarm than confusion," he said.
Someone suffering from a headache could believe they had a brain tumour after surfing the Internet, he said.
Misdiagnosis could also lead to someone taking unnecessary antibiotics which could damage the immune system, he said.
Dr Reilly said many very good and reputable websites had been established by medical organisations and institutions.However, others were "off-the-wall" and he said he would be extremely doubtful about the bona-fides of any website charging for a diagnosis.
Dr Maurice Gueret, editor of the Irish Medical Directory, said people should remember that there were no controls over the quality of information offered on the Internet.
He would encourage patients to inform themselves about their conditions, but advised them to be wary of any websites seeking payment or promoting certain products.
Internet advice should never take the place of a face-to-face consultation with a GP who knew the patient and the background to the complaint.
"You could say you have a 50 per cent chance of getting good accurate information on the Internet and a 50 per cent chance of getting bad advice," he said. "People should bear that in mind."
