Wrongly Diagnosed
Every year, nearly 100,000 Americans are injured or killed as a result of medical errors. One of the more common medical mistakes that can result in serious injury or death to a patient is wrong diagnosis. There are various types of wrong diagnoses, although most typically occur as a consequence of negligence on the part of the physician or other health care provider.
If you have been wrongly diagnosed, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses and suffering. Please contact us to learn more about your legal rights and options.
Common Wrongly Diagnosed Conditions
Common conditions that are often wrongly diagnosed include:
- Breast, cervical, prostate, ovarian, testicular, and lung cancer
- Heart attack
- Appendicitis
- Stroke
- Pulmonary embolism
- Diabetes
- Tuberculosis
- Bacterial meningitis
Wrongly Diagnosed: How It Happens
A wrong diagnosis often occurs when a physician or medical professional fails to correctly identify a disease, especially in cases where the condition is rare or has general symptoms. Various types of wrong diagnosis include:
- Wrong disease diagnosed - Sometimes a wrong diagnosis happens when a doctor diagnoses one disease, but the patient has another.
- Healthy but wrongly diagnosed as ill - Although rare, some patients have been diagnosed with a disease even though they are actually healthy.
- Sick but wrongly diagnosed as healthy - This type of wrong diagnosis occurs when a healthy diagnosis is given to a patient who in fact has a disease.
- Subtype of disease wrongly diagnosed - The general diagnosis is correct, but the subtype is incorrect. Confusing Type 1 for Type 2 diabetes is an example.
A wrongly diagnosed condition can result in serious, potentially fatal, consequences for the patient. Patients who have been wrongly diagnosed may be eligible to pursue a medical malpractice claim against the responsible party.
Medical Malpractice 