6:14 PM
Anonymous
When Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister, went for a check-up in 2005 he was given a CT scan.
This discovered two small lumps in his lungs, and surgery was recommended.
The operation was complicated by inflammation of the pancreas — a serious condition which meant being in intensive care.
He spent six weeks in hospital but was readmitted a month later because a cyst, which had developed on his pancreas because of the inflammation, had to be removed as well.
This was clearly a horrible illness.
All those operations, scans, time off work, tests — but wasn’t it worth it if they caught the nodules early and saved Mulroney’s life? Here’s the problem. The nodules weren’t cancer — they were benign.
Essentially, Mulroney had surgery and complications for a ‘problem’ that hadn’t actually been a problem.
‘Body MOT’ screening tests — like those the politician had — are done for people who are completely well and have no symptoms.
You might think, as a GP, I would highly recommend them for reassurance or early diagnosis of problems.
Indeed, there are hundreds of posh private clinics that offer ‘check-ups’ with all kinds of blood tests, ultrasound and even MRI and CT scans which are meant to give you ‘peace of mind’ — combinations of tests that cost from £100 up to several thousand pounds.
Some tests can be useful, but many are not. Some can end up doing us harm — as happened to Mulroney.
How could an innocent check-up be harmful?
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