[Redefining the disease: between the risk of medicalization and the urgency of training]

Recenti Prog Med. 2025 Sep;116(9):479-480. doi: 10.1701/4556.45567.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

The definition of disease is not a purely theoretical exercise but a choice with significant implications for clinical practice, public health, and resource management. The expansion of diagnostic criteria, aimed at reducing underdiagnosis, has led to an increase in overdiagnosis and overtreatment - critical issues still too little addressed in medical education and public communication.

Publication types

  • Editorial
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Diagnosis*
  • Education, Medical* / methods
  • Humans
  • Medical Overuse / prevention & control
  • Medicalization*
  • Overtreatment
  • Public Health