Medical Misdiagnosis and Malpractice

Medical Misdiagnosis Common

Having your medical symptoms misdiagnosed, or even receiving an incorrect diagnosis, is more common than many people think. According to a recent study, as many as 12 million people suffer the consequences of an incorrect diagnosis; that’s 1 in every 12 Americans. Among these cases, one the most commonly missed or incorrectly diagnosed conditions is cancer. Up to 44 percent of some forms of cancer are incorrectly diagnosed, and leading the pack are breast cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma. Survival rates for these cancers are severely impacted the longer the delay in diagnosis and treatment.

In addition to cancer, heart attacks comprise another serious condition that is often missed or incorrectly diagnosed. Heart attack symptoms vary case by case, and an incorrect diagnosis can have fatal consequences. Women are in greater danger than men for having their heart attack symptoms misdiagnosed, as they often don’t experience the chest pains commonly associated with a heart attack.

Other frequently misdiagnosed conditions include depression, fibromyalgia, and Lyme disease. All of these can cause widespread muscle aches, headaches, and generalized fatigue, and without spending adequate time with a patient, it’s fairly easy for medical providers to overlook these conditions.

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Legal Remedies for Medical Misdiagnosis

Though medical providers cannot always be held responsible for medical errors or missed diagnoses, South Carolina law does provide legal remedies for cases of medical malpractice.

Negligence is a major factor in being able to file a malpractice suit as a result of medical misdiagnosis. If a doctor was negligent in addressing your symptoms, spent inadequate time with you, or didn’t perform the rudimentary tests and procedures that would be reasonably expected under the circumstance, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. An additional factor to consider would be the result of the negligence; what were the ramifications of your medical misdiagnosis? If your medical provider was negligent, and as a result you suffered damages, you may have grounds for a case.

Contact Our Medical Malpractice Attorney

An incorrect medical misdiagnosis, or a missed diagnosis, can have serious and often life-threatening impacts on your health. At Anastopoulo Law Firm, we have the training and experience necessary in handling cases of incorrect medical diagnosis and malpractice. Contact our South Carolina Malpractice attorney to review your case. We can help you get the compensation you deserve.