In medicine regularly there are new methods of diagnosis and treatment, new technologies, medicines and biologically active substances. Most often, of course, they are the already known diseases, but sometimes for promotion on the market of novelties both "open" and formerly unknown diseases. Or to announce a disease that have not been considered.


Potential patients is both potential buyers, and as a result, along with these diseases are increasingly fictitious. The main thing is to find a suitable symptom, and then you can convince people that they have some kind of pathology, which is not something that a particular person, and in nature are actually not.

What is the "malingering"? Several years ago, the British Medical Journal counted more than 200. Among them are clear to all wrinkles and alopecia, cellulitis and sulphur in the ears and exotic like "allergies in XXI century". "It is either not existing disease or intentional its broader interpretation and emphasizing the danger to the population, which are widely used to grind", - explained "Our Version" Deputy Chairman Formulary Committee of the Russian Academy of medical Sciences, Professor Pavel Vorobiev. As a result, people huge amounts of money are spent on treatment actively promoted imaginary ailments, and real disease there is not enough money.

To fictitious diseases specialist considers and osteochondrosis. Diagnosed "osteochondrosis" in the foreign literature exists, but it denotes a rare disease of bones and joints, mainly in children.

A vivid example of malingering is the cellulite. Judging by the name, it really is about the disease ("-it" - inflammation). However, the real cellulite is quite rare fibrous inflammation subcutaneous fat. And the fact that under the cellulite typically involve women - just a cosmetic feature of female skin and subcutaneous fat. It is connected with stagnation in the circulation of lymph, blood, and with an uneven fat deposition. Foreign doctors generally referred cellulite to the secondary sexual characteristics of the woman.

Cellulite no need liposuction to do, no drugs to make, just eat less, or to accept the fact that the person has such a metabolism - fight it is difficult and almost hopeless. Professor Vorobyov told the story of a woman killed in combat manifestations of excess weight.

"It was a very stout woman, in the treatment she abruptly dropped the weight, she dropped the kidneys, developed kidney failure - and she died. Fast weight loss is much more dangerous than obesity! And even stories about how liposuction is developing sepsis (blood poisoning), is enormous. In principle, it is quite possible complication of any operation, but is it worth cosmetic effect, to go to such complications which sometimes lead to death?" - asks the expert.

To fictitious diseases specialist considers and osteochondrosis. Diagnosed "osteochondrosis" in the foreign literature exists, but it denotes a rare disease of bones and joints, mainly in children. In Russia "handrosan" called any back pain. "Images of the skeleton in people over 50 years will show that the osteochondrosis is almost all, and this is normal age-related changes, but hurts whether the person has with him sciatica is another question.

Radiculitis the disease is associated with change of the skeleton, but is in itself osteochondrosis - age norm, " says Professor sparrows. - Now there is a similar problem with osteoporosis, which is almost all over 60s. In most cases it does not cause physical pain is the same age-related changes, as wrinkles".

Osteoporosis is diagnosed in 99 out of 100 elderly, but to treat it is not required. Thus, according to the analytical Agency DSM Group, the Russians only in the first half of 2011 spent on drugs for osteoporosis 11,8 million roubles, having eaten 122 mln packs of pills. The growth rate of wasted money was compared with the corresponding period of 2010 to 10.3%. However, spending on drugs and creams cellulite Russians recently reduced: in 2010, the wind threw 22% less than in 2009, but the reason for this is most likely just a reduction of revenues in times of crisis.

Actively promote antibiotic treatment does more harm than good health, and because of their wrong application associated with imaginary diseases. Antibiotics drugs number one with pneumonia, systemic infection or pyelonephritis, but when infection invented, antibiotics no good not bring, but negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract, causing complications in the work of the kidneys and liver.

In principle infectious agents are many, identify their not so difficult, and the result can be almost any disease to associate with any pathogen. Chlamydia, E. coli, the measles virus in one form or another almost everyone has. But seemingly simple analogy require strict checks and evidence: this pathogen causes a clinical picture. According to Professor Vorobiev, chlamydia diagnose and treat every step, and the cases, when the doctors come to an agreement with the technicians and analyses find everything you need, known to many.

The woman who came to the reception, they say that she has found in a chlamydia. Check out this woman, and her together with a partner (or more) proposed treatment is expensive antibiotics, immunostimulators, biological additives, sometimes even persuaded to make a "cleansing of blood". And chlamydia no longer find! But whether it was at all, history is silent.

Even more revealing, a bloated with the filing who hysteria with swine flu. Again the data of analysts of DSM Group. "In 2009, which was artificially inflated panic before swine flu, says the Agency's Director General Sergey Shulyak, is sold the drug Theraflu 2.1 billion (13 million packs).

In 2010, without lobbying naturally sales declined, if you count in packages, by 14%. Even greater was the reduction of sales by well-known Russians drug Arbidol. In 2009, turnover of the drug amounted to 5.6 billion rubles for 37 million packs, in 2010 sales fell 19% in rubles, reaching 4.5 billion roubles, and took the Russians 28 million packs of the drug".

Often invent a new disease for wealthy young, and therefore, relatively healthy people. In the foreground in this case diagnostics. For example, you give the test strip with the help of which you find yourself "resonance cells" or something that sounded most unclear.

"The idea about the benefits of early diagnosis is not always true, " says Professor Pavel Vorobiev. - What can be early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, acute pneumonia, meningitis? Until they took place, no early diagnosis can be no".

Not casually so popular medical joke that there are no healthy people, and there only under-examined ones. Often, according to researchers from the universities of Toronto, Harvard, there is a situation, which is called "cascade"assignment when doctors side effect of taking the medicine are considered as a manifestation of a new disease.

In inventing diseases are leading US, they are the main developers of PR-campaigns of drugs, which have become a good business projects. In the States commonest diagnoses of mental illness: a child runs on the change means he's syndrome increased activity. The efforts of Russian medical and okoloogilise figures to the world list of imaginary diseases were added "a violation of the functions Evstafieva pipe" (a hole between the mouth and the middle ear that support the ambient pressure), "urolithiasis in the stage prior to the formation of stones", "intoxication" and "the blockage of the intestine".

Perhaps the latest gimmick "female orgasmic disorder". The real frequency of the disorder is unknown (according to some authors, it can occur in 10-15% of women living in a regular sexual life.

"This nabolese really want to treat drug manufacturers, - said the President of the Society of evidence-based medicine Professor Vasily Vlasov. - Apply viagra and analogs, the growing popularity of drugs surprising. Side effects from drinking has not been canceled, but the main thing that healthy people feel sick".

By the way, only in 2010 Russians spent on viagra 2729 million rubles - by 18.7% more than in 2009.

Author: Irina Vlasova