Health Highlights: Nov. 30, 2008

"Common, likely innocuous symptoms can escalate into the review of content on serious, rare conditions that are linked to the common symptoms,"said study authors Ryen White and Eric Horvitz, Agence France Presse reported.

An example of "cyberchondria" is someone with a headache who concludes it's a sign of a brain tumor.

"A brain tumor is a concerning possibility when a searcher experiences headache. However, the probability of a brain tumor given a general complaint of headache is typically quite low," the researchers said, AFP reported.

"Such escalations from common symptoms to serious concerns may lead to unnecessary anxiety, investment of time, and expensive engagements with healthcare professionals," they added.

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Epilepsy Drugs May Cause Skin Reactions in Asian Patients: FDA

Some Asian patients may suffer severe skin blisters and bleeding whentreated with certain epilepsy drugs such as Dilantin, Phenytek and Cerebyx,the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

Preliminary data indicate that people with a gene called HLA-B1502 may be at increased risk of developing skin problems when taking these drugs. Ten to 15 percent of people from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines may carry the gene, as well as 2 to 4 percent of South Asians, the Associated Press reported.

Doctors should monitor patients closely, but there isn't enough information yet to recommend genetic testing, the FDA said. Many patientswho develop skin problems do so in the first few months after they starttaking the epilepsy drugs.

Last year, the FDA recommended genetic testing for Asian patients taking the epilepsy drug carbamazepine after reports of skin reactions, theAP reported.