Common conditions that are often misdiagnosed

On Behalf of | Jul 9, 2018 | Medical Malpractice

When you visit a doctor or hospital with a medical condition, you never want to think twice about the potential of a misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, mistakes can and will continue to happen.

As a patient, you should become familiar with common conditions that are often misdiagnosed. These include the following:

  • Heart attack: From indigestion to the flu, it’s possible your medical team could mistake your heart attack symptoms for something much less serious.
  • Cancer: Every type of cancer is dangerous, especially one that is not diagnosed in a timely manner. The longer it takes for a diagnosis to occur, the greater chance there is that the cancer will spread.
  • Pulmonary embolism: This occurs when a blood clot reaches or forms in the lungs. It typically takes several tests in order to diagnose this serious medical condition.
  • Stroke: There are many symptoms of stroke, ranging from difficulty speaking to confusion and weakness. Even so, due to slower onset in some patients, it’s possible for a misdiagnosis to occur.

It’s difficult to hear that these common conditions can be misdiagnosed. If this happens to you or a loved one, there’s a much greater chance of additional medical concerns or death.

In the event of a misdiagnosis, it’s imperative to seek additional medical treatment with the idea of getting the problem under control once and for all.

Once you are stable and able to review what went wrong, you can get a clear idea of who was at fault and what you should do next. Depending on the situation, you may be able to hold the negligent party responsible for his or her actions.