Diabetes, HIV, urinary tract infection, cholesterol, Lyme disease, allergy … There is a plethora of self-tests sold in pharmacies without necessarily going through the doctor’s box. Problem, this expanded offer is not necessarily a guarantee of efficiency. Journalists of the magazine 60 million consumers have drawn up a comparison of these medical devices to gauge their effectiveness in view of their price (between 10 and 30 euros). They draw up a rather negative assessment: great disparities emerge between the self-tests. In the jungle of these, only two would be really worth the detour: HIV self-test and that of type 1 diabetes.
The first, made available in pharmacies from 2015, make it possible by means of a prick on the end of a finger, to know whether or not one is a carrier of the AIDS virus. Since their inception, this very successful screening tool even if it is a first step and does not replace a laboratory blood test, necessary in the event of a positive result.
The consultation of a professional essential
Regarding type 1 diabetes, the test is considered an effective medical device, also considers the journal.
On the other hand, certain self-tests such as those for Lyme disease or for allergies, in addition to being useless, should be avoided altogether. In addition to misleading with false results, they can lead to delayed treatment and diagnosis. Whatever the reliability rate of the self-test, nothing can replace the consultation of a competent health professional on the subject, for example an allergist or a general practitioner.
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