Doctors have claimed they can almost guarantee a diagnosis of a 'serious illness' if they hear a patient say one sentence.
And no, that sentence isn't: "I have a serious illness." Although I guess that would probably have good accuracy rating too.
Doctors revealed the actual sentence in posts on both Reddit and Twitter, where a number of people in the medical field chimed in to share the warning signs that can come from patients.
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One medic described their insight as a 'clinical pearl' when they posted it on the Reddit thread r/medicine, which is described as a 'subreddit for medical professionals'.
In their post, they explained the one thing they can hear which gives them a 'positive predictive value for serious illness that is close to 100%'.
Such diagnoses that have come after hearing the phrase have included myocardial infarction (MI) - AKA a heart attack - or cancer, according to others on the Reddit thread.
The sentence? "I feel fine but my wife made me come in."
That's right - if your wife is telling you to go to the doctor, it's best to listen to them.
This piece of advice was echoed by emergency room doctor and Twitter user Sam Ghali, who uses his social media platform to teach people about medical emergencies.
Dr Ghali agreed that hearing a patient say 'my wife made me come in' is an indication that 'something is really f**king wrong until proven otherwise'.
"Trust me on this one," he added.
But while that's one sentence that indicates a red flag to doctors, it's not the only phrase that can cause concerns.
In the Reddit thread, another medic responded: "Along the same lines: beware the sweet little old lady who 'doesn't want to be a bother, but...'"
A second added: "Once took a phone consultation in GP from an old lady with hours of chest pain. She said she just didn’t want us to worry…"
Other indications of bad news can come from a 'mother's intuition', medics claimed on the Reddit thread.
One poster explained: "Last week was the last time I questioned a mothers [sic] intuition.
"She said her college-aged child with no preexisting conditions just seemed to be off. Child showed no signs of depression or suicidal ideation and just as we were about to discharge them he stroked."
You should always seek help if you're having issues with your health, but if your wife or mom tells you to do so, it sounds like you better listen.
Topics: Health, Reddit, Social Media
Emily Brown