The most commonly used method for diagnosing a disease is to study the symptoms. Doctors also start their patient on a treatment based on the presence of a few of the characteristic symptoms of a disease. However, the situation is not as simple anymore, since many of the diseases share similar symptoms, increasing the chances of a misdiagnosis.
A recent study has shown that at least one out of every 20 American adults is affected by misdiagnosis, which means that at least 12 million people are exposed to danger because they are not being treated for the actual disease affecting them[1].
The high rate of misdiagnosis is often ascribed either to the occurrence of a very rare disease or to the manifestation of highly non-specific symptoms for a fairly common illness[2]. In either case, the patient’s health is at a huge risk not only from the undiagnosed illness but also from the treatment of the misdiagnosed one. Moreover, there is the element of cost to consider as well.
Here are the top 2 diseases that are most commonly misdiagnosed by doctors:
Celiac Disease
Celiac Disease is an illness that presents a tricky diagnostic situation. According to Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, the elusive disease requires something between 6 to 10 years to be accurately diagnosed[3]. The main reason behind its misdiagnosis is that the symptoms for the disease are identical to that for any other gastrointestinal ailment. The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is most commonly mixed with Celiac disease.
Thyroid Disease
In order to sustain proper bodily function, the thyroid hormone must stay in balance. While a hyperactive thyroid causes several symptoms, too little activity can result in another set of medical conditions. Unfortunately, both kind of symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycle in women, fluctuations in weight, fatigue, and weakness can be easily mistaken for some other disease such as depression[4] or even PMS.
While these are the top two diseases that are often misdiagnosed, there is a long list of such medical conditions including fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Lyme disease. If you think that the treatment you are getting for one problem is not helping you, try an alternative route. Let me help you in finding out the underlying cause of your health condition and resolve it in a drug free way. Visit LifeCraftllc to book a free 10-minute consultation on phone or Skype.
[1] Singh, H., Meyer, A. N., & Thomas, E. J. (2014). The frequency of diagnostic errors in outpatient care: estimations from three large observational studies involving US adult populations. BMJ quality & safety, bmjqs-2013.
[2] Graber, M. L. (2013). The incidence of diagnostic error in medicine. BMJ quality & safety, 22 (Suppl 2), ii21-ii27.
[3] Leffler, D. A., Dennis, M., George, J. B. E., Jamma, S., Magge, S., Cook, E. F., … & Kelly, C. P. (2009). A simple validated gluten-free diet adherence survey for adults with celiac disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 7(5), 530-536.
[4] Gold, M. S., Pottash, A. L. C., & Extein, I. R. L. (1981). Hypothyroidism and depression: evidence from complete thyroid function evaluation. Jama, 245(19), 1919-1922.