Many people in New Mexico suffer from certain common health conditions that doctors routinely misdiagnose. When this occurs, patients may be injured either by receiving medication and treatment which they do not need or by not receiving treatment for the condition, causing it to worsen.
Common illnesses that are misdiagnosed include thyroid conditions, celiac disease, migraines, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease and lupus. When a thyroid condition is misdiagnosed, it can have a detrimental affect on every cell of the person’s body. Lyme disease is inherently difficult to diagnose, as its symptoms mimic those of other common illnesses. A failure to diagnose it correctly can lead the person to suffer from a lifelong debilitating condition.
Often, people who see their doctors for migraines will be given migraine medication. More than 80 percent of migraines are caused by food allergies. Doctors often fail to try to diagnose the underlying issue that is causing the migraine, instead relying on medication rather than attempting to eliminate the migraines via dietary changes. Lupus is often misdiagnosed as being seborrheic dermatitis due to the similarity of the rash. Lupus, however, is an autoimmune disease requiring different treatment. Celiac disease is also difficult to diagnose, but can be diagnosed with a simple blood test.
A failure to diagnose an illness may leave the patient suffering from an increasingly debilitating condition while not receiving the appropriate therapeutic intervention. Those who are seriously injured due to a doctor’s misdiagnosis of their condition may want to speak with a medical malpractice attorney to determine how to seek compensation for their losses. An attorney might review the patient’s medical records as well as obtain the opinions of experts in order to establish negligence.
