Screening products fail test

OFF-THE-SHELF health tests for issues such as high cholesterol, vitamin deficiency, fertility and prostate problems may not be fit for purpose, researchers have warned.

- BY JANE KIRBY

A team from Birmingham University examined tests that people can buy in UK supermarkets, pharmacies and shops and which they then use at home.

They found the tests risked giving people the wrong result, could delay diagnosis, and most of them recommended followup with a doctor, regardless of the result.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medical products, said it would look at the findings.