The Internet can be both a friend and foe when it comes to looking up health symptoms. On the upside, the Internet provides a wealth of information easily accessible with just a few keystrokes and clicks. If you feel that there's something wrong with your body (even if it's at 3am), you can simply enter a search query and you'll immediately be directed to websites that can give you answers.

The downside? The Internet provides a wealth of information easily accessible with just a few keystrokes and clicks. More often than not, the web gives us way too much information. There are a lot of vague, contradicting, and downright false information out there, so the search for answers can get frustrating, especially when it's about your health.

Enter SymCAT. A site that helps you diagnose your symptoms using a calculator that "uses hundreds of thousands of patient records to estimate probability of disease." What's great about the site is that it's extremely user-friendly. Simply type your symptoms, answer a few questions, and SymCAT will generate a list of possible conditions. What's more, the data is presented using mostly graphs and bullet points, so the information is quite easy to understand.

How It Works

Head to the SymCAT homepage, and enter your health symptoms (e.g. vomiting, sharp abdominal pain, shortness of breath, etc.) You'll be asked how long you've had these symptoms, your age and sex, as well as any other additional symptoms that you have. The web app will then go through 500,000+ records to check what people with the same symptoms had. SymCAT will list the conditions along with the probability of you having them.

For instance, if you've indicated that you're a 30-year old female and who's been having facial pain and headaches for a couple of years, SymCAT will tell you that there may be a 44% chance that you have Chronic Sinusitis, a 12% chance that you have Migrane, and a 9% chance that you have Temporomandibular joint disorder. Clicking on each condition will take you to an infographic-esque page that details what its causes, symptoms, and treatment.

Aside from listing possible conditions, SymCAT also allows you to take action. If you feel that you need to speak with a medical professional, click to the "Action" link at the top part of the page to find doctors, urgent care facilities, and emergency rooms near your area.

Use It as a Reference

While SymCAT is indeed an extremely useful tool that can give us insights about our health, it's important to note that this tool isn't meant to replace seeking professional help. As SymCAT's disclaimer states, it "is for educational purposes only. It is NOT intended for diagnostic purposes. This list does NOT include all causes of disease, the numbers do NOT reflect true probability of having the disease. Only a physician or licensed provider may diagnose and treat diseases."

About the Technology

SymCAT is short for Symptom-based, Computer Assisted Triage. It searches through hundreds of thousands of actual patient records to determine the probability of each condition. What's more, SymCAT is a learning system that modifies its algorithms depending on the data it receives.