What do YOUR symptoms mean? New online 'calculator' tells you which conditions you're most likely to be suffering from 

  • Medical experts have devised an online symptom checker to try and help the public understand what may be wrong
  • Called Isabel, it was founded by the parents of Isabel Maude, who was misdiagnosed in 1999, aged three 
  • Despite diagnosis of chickenpox, she also had deadly toxic shock syndrome and bacteria eating away at her skin
  • The online symptom checker tool, now being hosted by the website patient.co.uk, has taken 14 years and 150,000 man-hours to develop and uses specialised software linked to a medical database

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We've all had those niggling symptoms such as tiredness or pain that won't go away.

And many of them could be a sign of any number of conditions. 

For example, while a dodgy stomach could be due to food poisoning, it could also be a symptom of IBS or something more sinister.

Now, medical experts have devised an online symptom checker to try and help the general public understand what their symptoms may indicate. 

Called Isabel, it was founded by the parents of Isabel Maude, who was misdiagnosed in 1999.

Despite doctors saying she had chickenpox, Miss Maude was actually suffering from deadly toxic shock syndrome and necrotising fasciitis, where bacteria eat away at the flesh.

Fourteen years on, she still needs ongoing surgery.

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CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS OUT USING THE ONLINE CHECKER BELOW  - CLICK ON THE ORANGE 'START' BUTTON 

It was during the summer of 1999 that Isabel, then three, was diagnosed with chicken pox.

When she developed the typical signs and symptoms of the condition, her parents, Jason and Charlotte, were told to expect the itching and general discomfort ─ relatively minor side effects that would subside after a short duration.

A few days into the illness Isabel developed a high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and severe pain and discolouration of the chicken pox rash. Follow-up visits to the family GP and A&E reassured Mr and Mrs Maude that Isabel’s suffering was normal and nothing to worry about.

But as the days went on, alarmed that their daughter's condition was critical, they took her back to hospital. 

Minutes after arriving, Isabel’s blood pressure dropped dramatically and she required emergency resuscitation. 

It became clear that what Isabel had been suffering from was not just chicken pox, but a secondary life threatening infection. She was moved under police escort to the paediatric intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

Doctors there found she was suffering from common complications of chicken pox:  toxic shock syndrome and necrotising fasciitis, a flesh eating bacteria. 

See more from Isabel Healthcare 

She spent two months in the hospital after experiencing multiple organ failure and cardiac arrest.

Throughout the entire ordeal, her parent’s dealt with the notion that their daughter may not survive and, if she did, would likely have suffered brain and other organ damage.

To treat the necrotising fasciitis, Isabel underwent an emergency operation to remove the infected skin, leaving extensive scars around her stomach and requiring multiple reconstructive operations. 

Today, she lives a normal life, but her parents remain emotionally scarred by their daughter's ordeal. However after the event, her father Jason found a way to turn the experience into something hopeful and positive.

He believed Isabel’s intense suffering may have been avoided had her doctors at the local hospital had taken all of her symptoms and clinical signs into account and thought of all possible diagnoses, rather than just assuming her symptoms were related to the chicken pox.

However rather than suing the hospital for the error, Jason teamed up with doctors from the intensive care unit.

Isabel Healthcare was created, in honour of Isabel, and all patients whose lives have been impacted by missed or delayed diagnosis, to help clinicians around the world reduce diagnostic errors.

The online symptom checker tool, launched by the website patient.co.uk, has taken 14 years and 150,000 man-hours to develop. Over 16 million people a month visit the site to research health conditions. 

Medical experts have devised the online symptom checker to help the general public understand what their symptoms may indicate. Called Isabel, it was founded the parents of Isabel Maude who was almost fatally misdiagnosed in 1999 

Medical experts have devised the online symptom checker to help the general public understand what their symptoms may indicate. Called Isabel, it was founded the parents of Isabel Maude who was almost fatally misdiagnosed in 1999 

The developers claim the search engine uses specialised software linked to a medical database. It was initially developed as a tool to help support medical professionals deal with more complex diagnoses or who were in doubt about a particular diagnosis.

Dr Hayley Willacy, clinical editor of patient.co.uk, which is now hosting the Isabel symptom checker, said the aim was to provide patients with a reliable research tool when looking online for information about diagnosis - and help them work more effectively with their doctor. 

Indeed, more people than ever before are turning to Google to diagnose their ailments rather than going to a doctor.

An analysis of Google UK earlier this year showed that since 2008, there has been a surge in the number of people searching for terms related to their health, with a massive increase in people looking for symptoms of stress related illnesses.

The apparent rise in stress related issues may be due to the recession, which began at around the same time. 

The study also found there had been twice as many searches than expected for terms such as 'stress symptoms' and 'bloated stomach'.

In addition, there had also been a massive rise of 72 per cent in the amount of searches for 'blood pressure symptoms' which may indicate that people are more stressed than ever, and it is affecting their health. 

Just this week, experts warned that half of all cancer cases are spotted at a late stage when treatment is less likely to be successful. 

More than 52,000 patients a year are having their odds of survival cut because the disease is not being caught quickly enough. 

The online symptom checker tool, launched by the website patient.co.uk, has taken 14 years and 150,000 man-hours to develop.The developers claim the search engine uses specialised software linked to a medical database and the site has been endorsed by the past director of the General Medical Council

The online symptom checker tool, launched by the website patient.co.uk, has taken 14 years and 150,000 man-hours to develop.The developers claim the search engine uses specialised software linked to a medical database and the site has been endorsed by the past director of the General Medical Council

The shocking figure is based on huge variations in diagnosis around England, with some cancers almost five times as likely to be diagnosed late in some parts of the country as others.

Cancer Research UK, which commissioned the analysis of NHS data, said that early diagnosis is ‘crucial to give patients the best chance of survival’. 

And new statistics from Leukaemia Care found more than half of patients with the condition are only being diagnosed after they have been to hospital which for many is too late as cancer is very advanced them.

One in four cancer cases is diagnosed in an accident and emergency department said Macmillian Cancer Support after being ignored by patients or missed by GPs.

Isabel's father, and founder of the symptom checker - Jason Maude, said: 'As medicine become more complex and the shortage of GPs gets worse, it is becoming vital for patients to become better informed about their own health.

'With Isabel now available and integrated on the highly respected patient.co.uk website, patients have a powerful tool to help them research their health effectively.' 

Sir Graeme Catto, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Aberdeen and past director of the General Medical Council said: 'We all turn to the internet when illness strikes. 

'Separating fact from fiction is, however, not straightforward and the information we select may sometimes mislead and make matters worse. 

'Isabel Symptom Checker provides the authoritative and reliable guide we need

Just this week, experts warned that half of all cancer cases are spotted at a late stage when treatment is less likely to be successful.More than 52,000 patients a year are having their odds of survival cut because the disease is not being caught quickly enough

Just this week, experts warned that half of all cancer cases are spotted at a late stage when treatment is less likely to be successful.More than 52,000 patients a year are having their odds of survival cut because the disease is not being caught quickly enough