Schooliosis

Schooliosis, a pun on "school" and "scoliosis", is a term for a type of medical misdiagnosis. The word was coined by Petr Skrabanek and James McCormick.[1]

The authors asserted that there is some degree of overdiagnosis of scoliosis in school, which causes ethical, social, and economic damage to the welfare of children.[2] Such overdiagnosis is called "schooliosis" by some academics. Schooliosis is a type of disease mongering.[3]

Preventive medical screening in school or college may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of scoliosis that triggers a series of unnecessary medical interventions on adolescents. There can be diagnostic and therapeutic cascades involving several specialists, which can end with iatrogenic damage to a healthy child with a normal back. The risks are unnecessary overexposure to X-rays (repeated diagnostic X-rays), rehabilitation techniques with side effects (traction), stigmatizing orthopaedic treatment (braces for back injury) and costs in time, travel, etc.[4]

See also

References
  1. Skrabanek, Petr; James McCormick (1998). Follies and Fallacies in Medicine (PDF) (3rd ed.). Eastbourne (UK): Tarragon Press. p. 68. ISBN 1-870781-09-0. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  2. Gérvas J. Escuoliosis. Acta Sanitaria. 2010-07-26
  3. PLoS Medicine Disease Mongering Collection. PLoS Medicine. 2006/04/11.
  4. Dvonch VM, Siegler AH, Cloppas CC, Bunch WH (1990). "The epidemiology of "schooliosis"". J Pediatr Orthop. 10: 206–7. doi:10.1097/01241398-199003000-00014. PMID 2312702.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.