6 Case Study: Using GenAI to search for health information
The scenario
Laura’s been dealing with a cough, feeling really tired, and a slight fever for a few days. She wasn’t sure if it was just a cold, COVID-19, or the flu. After searching online and not finding clear answers, she asked a GenAI tool:
Prompt: “I’ve had a cough for a week, feeling very tired, and had a low-grade fever for two days. What could be wrong?”
The response
Your symptoms — a persistent cough for a week, fatigue, and a low-grade fever for two days — could be caused by several underlying conditions. Here’s a breakdown of the most likely possibilities based on current medical insights:
1. Respiratory Infections
- Common cold or flu: These viral infections often cause low-grade fever, fatigue, and cough. They typically resolve on their own with rest and fluids
- Bronchitis or viral pneumonia: These can cause a persistent cough lasting weeks, along with fever and fatigue. Viral pneumonia may also include chest discomfort and shortness of breath
- COVID-19 or Long COVID: If you’ve had COVID recently, lingering symptoms like cough and fatigue could be part of post-viral syndrome or Long COVID
2. Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome
- Even after a mild viral infection, some people experience prolonged fatigue and other symptoms like muscle aches and brain fog. This condition can persist for weeks and is linked to immune system responses
3. Autoimmune Disorders
- Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or lupus can cause low-grade fever and fatigue. Some autoimmune diseases also affect the lungs, leading to a persistent cough
4. Tuberculosis (TB)
- TB is a bacterial infection that can cause a persistent cough, fatigue, and low-grade fever, especially at night. It’s less common but serious and requires medical testing for diagnosis
5. Medication Side Effects
- If you recently started a new medication, it could be causing a drug-induced fever. This usually resolves after stopping the medication
6. Stress or Psychogenic Fever
- Chronic stress can lead to a low-grade fever and fatigue. This is more common in people with conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
What You Should Do
- Monitor your symptoms: If the fever returns or the cough worsens, it’s important to seek medical attention.
- See a doctor: Especially if symptoms persist beyond 10 days, worsen, or are accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, or night sweats.
- Consider testing: A healthcare provider may recommend blood tests, chest X-rays, or a sputum culture to identify the cause.
Would you like help preparing questions for your doctor or finding a nearby clinic?
Capabilities of asking GenAI for health information
- Quick Access to Information: GenAI helped Laura quickly find and organize a huge amount of medical information, giving her general insights about her symptoms.
- Broad Range of Solutions: Based on publicly available information, Laura now has several potential health solutions to consider.
- Real-time Information and Local Resources: Some GenAI tools can search the open web, which means they can find real-time information, like locating a clinic close to Laura’s home, in addition to their existing training data.
Limitations of asking GenAI for health information
- AI isn’t a doctor: GenAI tools can’t actually diagnose medical conditions because they aren’t real medical professionals, can’t perform physical exams, or fully understand a person’s complete medical history, current medications, or existing health issues.
- Limited information source: AI’s suggestions are only based on the information provided in the prompt and publicly available data, which might not be comprehensive or specific enough for an accurate diagnosis.
What should Laura do next?
If you are thinking that Laura should seek medical attention, you are likely correct. While we have a ton of information available on possible diagnosis, medical diagnoses should be left to professional humans. In this case, the limitations of using an AI tool outweigh the capabilities.
