The 32-year-old Ian Stedman was totally shocked when he randomly searched his symptoms online on Google and discovered a rare disease. He spent these years without a diagnosis but a simple Google search changed his life. The diagnosis not only helped him get treatment but also meant his daughter could receive care much earlier. Almost ten years later, Ian Stedman believes artificial intelligence could help other patients avoid the long and difficult diagnostic journey he experienced.
“I think [artificial intelligence] has potential to completely transform the health-care system,” Stedman told White Coat, Black Art host Dr. Brian Goldman, reports CBC News. “I don't know if it's for better or for worse yet, but I do think it's a real important conversation for us to have about how to regulate it and how to make sure that what people are finding online is helpful instead of harmful.”
Ian Stedman spent 32 years without a diagnosis
Stedman, 43, of Woodbridge, Ont., grew up with a range of unexplained symptoms, including a skin rash, red eyes, migraines, arthritis and eventually partial hearing loss. He visited nearly dozens of doctors with over nearly 200 appointments, but none was able to identify what was causing his symptoms. This affected his education, work and everyday life and he also avoided wearing short sleeves because of his rash and eventually learned to live with the symptoms.
Everything changed after his daughter, Lia, began experiencing similar problems. And it was then, when Stedman decided to search online. He spent hours looking through thousands of images and eventually found photographs of skin symptoms that looked similar to his own.
The condition was Muckle-Wells syndrome, a rare disease. His diagnosis was later confirmed by Dr. Ronald Laxer, a pediatric rheumatologist at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Both the father and daughter received medication every two months to keep their symptoms under control.
