Start with your symptom
What brought you here?
Most people who look up a health problem online do not start with the name of a disease. They start with something that does not feel right. So this is where we begin: with the symptom.
Pick whichever item is closest to your situation, and you will see: what the possible causes are, when to seek medical care immediately, which tests are usually done, how to read the results, and who to see next. Every page has a self-assessment tool that asks you to leave no personal details at all.
A cough that won’t go away
“I’ve been coughing for weeks and it just won’t clear.”
Once a cough has lasted more than three weeks, it is no longer just a cold. The three commonest causes are in fact postnasal drip, asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux — but tuberculosis and lung cancer have to be ruled out first.
Start the assessment →Breathlessness, difficulty breathing
“Stairs leave me far more out of breath than they used to.”
Breathlessness is not always a lung problem — the heart, anaemia, weight and anxiety all cause it. What matters is telling apart “needs medical care right now” from “can wait for an outpatient appointment”.
Start the assessment →More phlegm, or phlegm that has changed
“Every morning I spend ages clearing my chest.”
Long-standing phlegm may be chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis or postnasal drip. Blood in the phlegm is a different matter and needs attention promptly.
Start the assessment →Snoring, unrefreshing sleep
“Eight full hours in bed and I’m still exhausted.”
Snoring together with daytime sleepiness may be sleep apnoea. It is linked to hypertension, arrhythmia and stroke — and it can be treated.
Start the assessment →An abnormal lung function report
“My health check report says my lung function is poor.”
What do FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC and DLCO each stand for? Is the pattern obstructive or restrictive? Do you need a bronchodilator test as well?
Start the assessment →Thinking about lung cancer screening
“I’ve never smoked — do I need an LDCT?”
How is eligibility for the Health Promotion Administration’s government-funded programme worked out? What if you have never smoked but have a family history? And how is a nodule followed up once it is found? This page works it out for you.
Start the assessment →How it works
How this site walks the whole stretch with you
We would like you to leave this site not having “read an article”, but knowing what your next step is.
Every self-assessment tool runs on your own device. Your answers are not uploaded and are not stored, and no sign-up is needed. The advice the tools give is compiled from published international guidelines and domestic Taiwanese regulations, and carries its evidence strength — but it cannot replace a physician’s diagnosis.