Assertive Healthcare & Commonly Misdiagnosed Conditions

Each year, millions of Americans experience misdiagnosis by a healthcare professional. In fact, my personal experience of misdiagnosis almost left me with a medical situation in which the ramifications, if untreated, could have been life threatening. If you are a patient who suffers from a medical condition that may be misdiagnosed, it is important that you remain assertive in the management of your own health, even if that means reaching out to other healthcare professionals to ensure the proper diagnosis is given.

While there are many cases of misdiagnosis in this country, there is a surprisingly common pattern among healthcare professionals in terms of misdiagnosing specific conditions. These conditions, in some cases, if not diagnosed promptly, can lead to life altering complications.

For example, many women suffer from misdiagnosed thyroid disorders. With complaints of sleep disturbance, weight gain, memory fluctuations and even mental health complications, physicians tend to ignore these symptoms as that related to a thyroid disorder and, instead, are choosing to diagnosis with something as simple as an age related complication, offering suggestions for diet and exercise.

Another commonly misdiagnosed complication, especially in women, is that of the sexually transmitted disease, Chlamydia. Because Chlamydia is commonly asymptomatic, with progressive complications resulting in pelvic pain, many healthcare professionals, and patients, do not realize the STD is present until such time as complications are so prevalent that STD testing is requested.

Of all misdiagnosed cases, those involving autoimmune complications are probably the most commonly misdiagnosed. Conditions such as celiac disease, an inability to digest gluten, commonly is misdiagnosed for as long as a decade into the complications. In addition to celiac disease, lupus is also commonly misdiagnosed with many healthcare professionals dismissing a woman's complaints of joint pain and fatigue as that of aging or premature signs of arthritis.