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Common Misdiagnosed Illnesses

Dated : 20th February 2015

In the world of medicine, there are a lot of illnesses. Unfortunately, there are quite a few that are commonly misdiagnosed. In order to avoid any mishap or heartache, here are some common misdiagnosed illnesses that you and your closest loved ones can prevent. The first one is lupus which is a chronic inflammatory disease. The symptoms of lupus are fatigue, rash, joint pain; and damage to the kidney, heart, and lungs. This disease can be misdiagnosed for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis. In order to prevent a misdiagnosis of lupus, the ANA and lupus erythematosus cell tests can be used for positive results of active lupus.

Cancer is also one of the most misdiagnosed illnesses. Since cancer is still being researched, misdiagnosis happens quite frequently. Some of the more misdiagnosed cancers are breast, colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancers. They also have symptoms that are similar to other non-cancerous conditions. For example, inflammatory breast cancer has similar symptoms to mastitis and fibrocystic breast disease. Also, pancreatic cancer has symptoms similar to inflammatory bowel diseases, pancreatitis, and diabetes. Misdiagnosis of cancer can result in delayed diagnosis and further problems down the line for the patient. In order to prevent this, the doctor must do all the tests necessary to rule out any types of cancer.

Works Cited

1. "Cancer Misdiagnosis Guide." Cancer Misdiagnosis. Paul & Perkins PA, 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. http://cancermisdiagnosisguide.com.

2. Fisher, Mary A. "Commonly Misdiagnosed Illnesses - Check Medical Symptoms, Medical Tests - AARP." AARP. AARP The Magazine, July-Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-06-2011/commonly-misdiagnosed-illnesses.html.

3. N.d. Lawbni. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. http://lawbni.com/practice-areas/medical-malpractice/cancer-misdiagnosis/.