The following is an outline of the most commonly misdiagnosed medical conditions among women. Patients in New York are advised to ask for a second opinion when these conditions fail to improve or rather worsen. The first condition is bloating, which has a myriad causes from the menstrual cycle to extreme stress and can be a sign of ovarian cancer or diverticulitis. It can be mild or severe.
On the other hand, doctors are liable to misdiagnose certain conditions as bloating. Irritable bowel syndrome is one example with women experiencing symptoms like excess gas, cramping, stomach pain and diarrhea. The most misdiagnosed condition, however, is heart disease. Unfortunately, it’s also the number-one killer of women. Its symptoms, which include chest pain, nausea and shortness of breath, are similar to those of anxiety and heartburn.
Thyroid disease, which leads to weight gain, dry skin, aches and constipation, is frequently misdiagnosed as menopause, a hormonal imbalance or depression. A more rare disease, fibromyalgia, is easy to misdiagnose because symptoms vary and medical examinations like blood tests cannot pick it up.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is often mistaken for exhaustion and, even worse, has no specific test for it. Lastly, women are liable to have a variety of cancers misdiagnosed, including ovarian, breast, throat and bladder cancer. Specifically, cancers can be mistaken for infections or other non-cancerous conditions.
Those who are misdiagnosed may be able to file a malpractice claim and be compensated for the injuries they incurred and the conditions they have to cope with as a result. If the victim died, a family member or other eligible dependent could file the claim. In either case, it may be wise to have legal representation. A lawyer might, with the help of investigators, show that the doctor failed to live up to an objective standard of care.