Misdiagnosis is a typical type of medical misconduct. When a doctor fails to diagnose the patient or diagnoses the patient with an erroneous condition, this happens. If a patient is misdiagnosed, they may continue to suffer harm if they do not receive the correct therapy. A patient's health may deteriorate or suffer terrible side effects if he or she receives therapy for the wrong ailment. Some of the most often misdiagnosed diseases include:
Infections
According to popular belief, they are the most frequently misdiagnosed condition, yet the sheer volume of instances suggests otherwise. It is possible to die from a misdiagnosed infection. The annual death toll from stroke is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. These individuals are frequently misdiagnosed as being intoxicated or suffering from vertigo or headaches. Among the more than 200,000 stroke victims studied by Johns Hopkins University, approximately one-sixth complained to the emergency room about severe headaches and dizziness in the month before to their stroke.
Doctors are 30% more likely to misdiagnose a stroke in women, minorities, and those under the age of 45 than in any other patient group. Strokes are misdiagnosed at a rate of up to 165,000 per year.
A condition caused by gluten intolerance
Weight loss, cramping in the limbs, a lack of anaemia, vomiting and diarrhoea, and pain in the belly are all signs of celiac disease, which prevents the normal digestion of gluten. A thorough diagnosis might take up to a decade for some people.
Depression
Chronically depressed people may have symptoms that are difficult to pin down and are similar to those of other disorders. Depression can include irritability, melancholy, exhaustion, difficulty focusing, and sleeplessness.
Thyroid Insufficiency
Weight fluctuations, muscle and joint discomfort, weakness, and exhaustion are just a few of the symptoms that might result.
A long-term condition
Many of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as joint pain, sleep difficulties, excessive exhaustion, rash, and anxiety, are really those of fibromyalgia or lupus.
Lyme disease may be difficult for doctors to diagnose.
Although many cases of the disease are not accompanied by a bulls-eye rash if the patient has no bull's-eye rash. There are several possible symptoms of Lyme disease, including nausea and vomiting, a stiff neck, stomach pains and exhaustion. Lyme disease symptoms might linger for up to fourteen months before a definitive diagnosis is made.
A heart attack
A heart attack can have a wide range of symptoms, including no symptoms at all for some people, different symptoms for different age groups, as well as different symptoms for men and women. If you've ever felt like your heart has been crushed, you'll know what I'm talking about. In spite of this, the CDC estimates that up to 600,000 individuals die each year as a result of a heart attack. There is a chance that a heart disease diagnosis will be overlooked since symptoms like back pain and indigestion might be mistaken for illness, GERD or gallstones.
Also Read: What can I do if I was misdiagnosed?
Cancer
As per the Journal of Clinical Oncology, as many as 28% of cancer cases are misdiagnosed. Colorectal cancer, melanoma, haematological cancer, breast cancer, and gynaecological cancer are the five most usually misdiagnosed malignancies. Misdiagnosis is attributed to limited time for patient review, poor medical histories, and missing information by doctors.
