Researchers Argue Diagnoses For Asymptomatic Diseases Can Be Psychologically Detrimental.

Researchers Tessa Copp, Kirsten McCaffery, Jenny Doust, Jolyn Hersch, and Jesse Jansen argue in an opinion piece for STAT (11/1) that advancements in medical technology have made it “easier to detect disease earlier than ever,” which is “a good thing when it means a deadly cancer can be caught promptly and stopped with treatment.” However, they argue diagnoses for diseases with “mild symptoms, if any, and only a low risk of getting worse” may actually “do more harm than good, especially if the diagnosis adds an emotional burden and doesn’t change an individual’s treatment.” The researchers cite polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as an example of “one of several overdiagnosed conditions we study,” asserting that although “a diagnosis of PCOS is appropriate and beneficial” for some women, “the potential impact of a diagnosis on psychological well-being should not be underestimated” for others. Their arguments were published in the BMJ. https://www.statnews.com/2017/11/01/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-overdiagnosis/