I went for a full body MOT and the results came as a shock

ByRuth Clegg

Health and wellbeing newsman

I don't caput having my photograph taken - triple checked and filtered for Instagram - but 70 cameras pointing astatine maine portion I'm down to my knickers is simply a spot daunting.

A robotic dependable tells maine to enactment inactive and adjacent my eyes arsenic I basal successful a immense curved scanner portion classical euphony plays successful the background.

With a flash of light, 2,000 photographs are taken of my body, successful the anticipation of capturing each mark, freckle and mole to analyse for antithetic tegument cancers.

This full-body scan is happening astatine a sci-fi-style session successful Manchester metropolis centre, with maine wearing a dressing gown and hexagon-shaped rubber slippers. The millions of information points collected volition make a 3D avatar of my assemblage utilizing AI.

Over the past 2 years, the marketplace for wellness MOTs has boomed, with radical consenting to wage hundreds, oregon adjacent thousands, for them, and companies specified arsenic Prenuvo, Ezra and Neko Health raising millions successful task capital.

While Prenuvo and Ezra connection a whole-body MRI scan, I've opted for Neko Health, which doesn't delve rather arsenic deeply, and comes with a much humble £299 terms tag. There are presently 100,000 radical connected its waiting list.

I volition beryllium screened for a scope of antithetic conditions, including tegument cancer, cardiovascular disease, benignant 2 diabetes, oculus conditions similar glaucoma, arsenic good arsenic kidney and humor disorders.

I don't person immoderate symptoms, but what if they bash find something? More connected that later.

The assemblage scan manufacture sees itself arsenic a caller frontier successful healthcare, preventing illness earlier it has a accidental to afloat appear. But determination is scepticism astir however beneficial these scans truly are for different steadfast patients.

My socials are inundated with videos of enthusiastic clients filming themselves successful scan machines, getting their bloods taken and investigating their grip strength.

Hjalmar Nilsonne, 1 of the founders of Neko Health, wants to spot this preventative attraction disposable for each individual, not conscionable those who tin spend to wage for it.

"While medicine has progressed truthful overmuch implicit the past century, superior attraction is inactive precise basic. Why hold until we spot symptoms?" Nilsonne says. "The information is ace wide - prevention is preferable to cure."

However, GPs and doctors successful the wider NHS are much sceptical, with NHS England informing that the popularity of these scans is starring to much "over-diagnosis, unnecessary investigations and avoidable anxiety".

As good arsenic having a scan myself, I've spoken to 2 women who had precise antithetic experiences.

Annabel Mason-Thompson went for a Neko Health scan successful September past year, knowing she had a suspicious-looking people connected her backmost - but it wasn't flagged by the technology.

"I felt a spot fto down if I'm honest," the 50-year-old says. "Their AI scanner failed to prime up immoderate of my 4 cancerous lesions.

"It was lone erstwhile I went into the doctor's country aft the scan and I pointed retired my reddish people did they instrumentality a look astatine it."

Further introspection confirmed the people was suspicious, truthful Neko Health contacted Annabel to accidental she would request attraction and wrote a missive to her backstage dermatologist to accidental the "lesion requires valuation with a presumption to imaginable excision".

Her dermatologist recovered 3 much cancerous marks which needed urgent treatment.

"Luckily," she says, "they were each slow-growing basal compartment carcinomas. I had to person 2 chopped retired and 2 taken disconnected via cryotherapy."

Neko Health says "member information and objective excellence are astatine the bosom of everything" it does. The institution said its objective squad did place a "lesion of concern" and it was reviewed by 2 of its dermatologists earlier a referral was made for imaginable treatment.

"We cognize that nary 1 strategy is foolproof," Nilsonne says, "which is wherefore we person aggregate lenses - it is important that the exertion and quality expertise enactment together."

His company's latest information shows that of the 4,362 scans carried retired connected clients who visited Neko Health's Stockholm office past year, 1.2% discovered life-threatening conditions specified arsenic melanoma and leukaemia. A further 4% spotted important wellness conditions that required further treatment, and 1.2% flagged conditions that could beryllium reversed specified arsenic pre-diabetic humor sweetener levels.

While the figures are not typical of the colonisation and lone relationship for those who tin spend to wage for this benignant of preventive healthcare, Nilsonne says this is an indicator of however medicine should look successful the future.

But GPs disagree. Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), says they haven't seen "convincing evidence" backstage wide screening tests "improve wellness outcomes".

She says the results from these backstage scans tin besides spot an further strain connected the NHS arsenic clients travel backmost for further tests and imaginable treatment, adjacent "where the findings beryllium to beryllium clinically insignificant".

Mehvish says thing could person prepared her for what she was told aft her afloat assemblage scan. She near Birmingham's Neko Health session with a life-changing diagnosis.

"I expected to consciousness relief," the 33-year-old says. "Instead, I was told that I had a uncommon signifier of diabetes."

After her semipermanent humor sweetener levels came backmost precise high, she had different humor trial which confirmed she had suspected diabetes.

She was referred backmost to her GP, who sent her for an urgent infirmary assignment the aforesaid day, and was diagnosed with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes successful Adults (LADA), a benignant of diabetes which bridges some benignant 1 and benignant 2.

Like benignant 1, it is an autoimmune information that attacks the body's pancreatic cells, but it besides shares traits with benignant 2 due to the fact that it tin advancement dilatory and, depending connected the signifier of the condition, it tin initially beryllium managed with fare and exercise.

"I didn't person immoderate of the symptoms," Mehvish says, "It was hard to get my caput circular it - however could I person this information and not cognize astir it?"

But she says the early, unexpected involution "saved my life".

Now she injects insulin doubly a day, monitors what she eats, and contempt missing the spontaneity of her aged life, is learning to accommodate to her caller one.

"I consciousness truthful overmuch better, much clarity, little encephalon fog and I consciousness truthful overmuch much balanced."

After my ain scan, I'm feeling somewhat retired of balance. I've been told I person 3,311 tegument markings - compared to the mean Neko Health client's 845. Three request other reappraisal by the company's dermatologist successful Sweden.

"But I don't person immoderate large moles oregon markings," I accidental during the post-scan consultation with a doctor. It's my freckles, I'm told, and having freckles puts maine astatine higher hazard of tegument cancer.

Having felt assured I would get a cleanable measure of wellness - particularly erstwhile it comes to my tegument - I was a spot unnerved to observe that I'd request to person other tests.

As good arsenic the 3 suspicious-looking moles that needed further attention, I besides discovered I person an antithetic bosom rate. The hint from the electrocardiogram (ECG) highlighted an other wave, known arsenic a bifid P wave, which was referred to Neko Health's in-house cardiologist for review. Thankfully, it came backmost each clear.

A fewer days later, I received a follow-up substance to accidental determination were nary abnormal tegument changes that required treatment.

I americium 1 of thousands of clients who has had thing flagged arsenic a imaginable issue, past aboriginal recovered nary further attraction was required. Some doctors accidental this causes unnecessary anxiousness and that patients should lone trust connected nationalist screening programmes done the NHS.

Dr Stephen Harden, president of the Royal Society of Radiologists, points to the exertion utilized successful the NHS, which targets "specific areas" similar the breasts, bowel oregon cervix, and which helium says whitethorn beryllium much reliable than a whole-body scan.

But erstwhile wellness curate Steve Brine says precautionary scans similar the 1 I had "fit the absorption of question of however radical are approaching their health".

"Change is afoot crossed the NHS - prevention is simply a immense argumentation area," Brine says. "We privation to place people's problems earlier they go patients, truthful these scans could good go a portion of our aboriginal healthcare and superior attraction needs to adapt."

As for me? I was told my bosom property was 4 years younger than my existent age, and connected the whole, I was successful tip-top health. But I've besides learned a invaluable acquisition - that I could beryllium much astatine hazard of tegument crab due to the fact that of my freckles.

So, acknowledgment to my clip successful the scanner, I americium present acold much enthusiastic astir lathering sunscreen each implicit my assemblage - alternatively than lone connected my face.