Keep the camera phone ready for the doctor

Taking photographs or video of unusual symptoms on an ordinary camera phone can help doctors diagnose uncommon problems, say researchers in an article published on bmj.com today.

A pregnant woman in Norway utilised her camera phone to help doctors diagnose frequent episodes of severe nipple pain.

The pain came and went whenever her fingers, toes or nipples got cold and was painful enough to make her cry.

After having her baby, the pain became so intense that she considered giving up breastfeeding.

Determined to get to the bottom of it, she took photographs on her camera phone showing the colour changes her nipples went through during bouts of pain.

From looking at the photographs, doctors were able to diagnose Raynaud’s phenomenon of the nipple.

The case forms part of an article on BMJ.com today. Authors of the article conclude that Raynaud’s phenomenon is possibly an under diagnosed case of nipple pain as symptoms have vanished before the patient reaches the doctor.