Most people hope that a trip to the doctor will relieve some of their discomfort if they are suffering from symptoms that will not simply go away with time and rest. However, you might be surprised to find out that your doctor is as baffled as you are, particularly for certain conditions, where the symptoms are nonspecific and the doctor does not want to order diagnostic tests that are expensive and not routinely done.
Which diseases are commonly misdiagnosed?
Health.com recently released a report documenting 15 diseases that doctors often get wrong. Some of these commonly misdiagnosed diseases include:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that affects the large intestine and causes severe diarrhea or constipation, bloating, and cramping. The criteria typically require that, in order for it to officially be considered IBS, it must be present for at least three days a month, for at least six months.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is described as an immune-based reaction to gluten that triggers inflammation in the small intestine. Reportedly, it can take a patient between six to 10 years to be properly diagnosed because only about half the number of people who have it experience symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, itchy skin, headaches, joint pain, and/or heartburn when they consume products with gluten. However, if your doctor is willing to order that a blood test be done to test for Celiac, that significantly increases the chances of a proper diagnosis.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is the diagnosis often assigned to patients who experience widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue that do not appear to have an obvious cause. However, depending on the specialist that you visit, these symptoms can also be misdiagnosed as IBS.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis can mimic other conditions such as osteoarthritis, which is characterized by inflammation and painful swelling of joints, but which can occur at any age.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is another autoimmune disease only sometimes characterized by symptoms such as weakness, numbness, and limbs that tingle because the immune system attacks the body’s nerve cells and disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Symptoms are more or less severe depending on the number and locations of lesions in the brain, but a spinal tap or MRI can confirm the disease.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease can be tricky because the symptoms associated with it—headaches, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, etc.—can easily be confused with other conditions (such as the flu itself). Even a blood test can be unreliable because the disease antibodies often do not show up until a few weeks after infection.
Others
Other diseases that are commonly misdiagnosed include lupus, polycystic ovary syndrome, appendicitis, endometriosis, migraines, cluster headaches, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. You can find out more about these conditions and their symptoms at health.com.
Have You Been Misdiagnosed? Contact our New Orleans Attorneys today.
If you have potentially suffered an injury as a result of a misdiagnosis, our legal team will fight to make sure that your medical bills are covered and that pain and suffering is compensated for. For more information about medical malpractice cases, such as the failure to diagnose a health problem, being a victim of a commonly misdiagnosed disease, or the delayed diagnosis of a health problem, be sure to contact our New Orleans, Louisiana personal injury lawyers today. Our entire team looks forward to meeting you in person and going over all of these matters in greater detail.