Most commonly misdiagnosed diseases

The speed of recovery, and sometimes the patient’s life, depends on the correct diagnosis. Difficulties arise because the symptoms of diseases are similar to each other or there are no specific methods of their diagnosis. From this article, you will learn about diseases that are often misdiagnosed. Note that if you suspect that you are faced with such, you should contact another specialist or conduct additional tests

10 most commonly misdiagnosed diseases

1. Lupus

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease. Its symptoms include constant fatigue and kidney, heart, and lung problems. Rash and joint pain may also appear.

It is often confused with fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that manifests with muscle and joint pain, exhaustion, nervousness, and sleep problems. Also, instead of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed.

2. Celiac disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which a person does not tolerate gluten contained in food. Symptoms of this disease are bloating and heaviness in the abdomen, and diarrhea. In serious cases, they are supplemented by anemia, seizures, and weight loss.

Celiac disease symptoms and manifestations vary, depending on the degree of intolerance. Therefore, this disease is often misdiagnosed. Instead, doctors may assume the presence of irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease.

3. Multiple sclerosis

This disease occurs when the immune system attacks its own nerve cells and disrupts the connection between the brain and the rest of the body. The first symptoms of multiple sclerosis include fatigue and tingling in one or more limbs. There are also coordination disorders, blurred vision, and cognitive impairments.

These symptoms may occur periodically, which complicates the diagnosis of the disease. Therefore, infections, Alzheimer’s disease, lupus, or bipolar disorder are often diagnosed instead. To determine whether multiple sclerosis is really the cause of the symptoms, the patient is given an MRI to identify brain lesions characteristic of this disease. And also, take a general blood test and a lumbar puncture.

4. Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, or tick-borne borreliosis, occurs due to bacteria carried by ticks and deer bloodsuckers. The disease is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, flu, fibromyalgia, meningitis, or depression.

The main symptoms include twitching of the face and eyelids, neck stiffness, shortness of breath, chest soreness, and abdominal cramps. Moreover, Lyme disease can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and rash.

To determine the disease in the absence of a rash, it is necessary to take a blood test for antibodies and borreliosis.

5. Thyroid diseases

In some cases, thyroid diseases are almost asymptomatic, making it difficult to diagnose them. Both an overabundance and a shortage of hormones in this organ have symptoms similar to many diseases. They can be mistaken for a manifestation of depression or chronic fatigue syndrome. To understand if everything is in order with the thyroid gland, it is necessary to take an analysis for the appropriate hormones.

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6. Appendicitis

The classic symptom of appendicitis — pain in the right lower abdomen is not always so simple. In some people, the appendix is directed backward, not forward, so the sensations manifest themselves in another place.

Eugene Shapiro, MD, deputy director of the Investigative Medicine Program at Yale University, explained
“Sometimes people do have pain, but the appendix ruptures, and the pain decreases, so they think they’re fine. Or they believe that this pain is related to the gastrointestinal tract or other diseases.”

A ruptured appendix can be life-threatening, so go to the emergency room if you feel constant abdominal pain.

7. Parkinson’s disease

Symptoms of this disease often include trembling, stiffness and instability. However, they can mimic other neurodegenerative conditions, including essential tremors. This ailment is often confused with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, stress, or traumatic brain injury.

Unfortunately, there are no laboratory tests for this disease. Therefore, we recommend that you get the opinion of several specialists if you are not sure of the correctness of the diagnosis.

8. Aortic dissection

This disease is similar to a heart attack, so it is often misdiagnosed. Aortic dissection is a serious disease when the aortic wall ruptures and blood flows through it. It can be diagnosed using tests such as X-rays, computed tomography, and transthoracic echocardiography.

9. Cancer

A cancer diagnosis can be difficult due to some symptoms accompanying the disease. Moreover, they can vary depending on the type of disease, severity, and individual characteristics.

Many symptoms, such as breathing problems, indigestion, fever, and unexpected weight loss, may indicate some other diseases. Therefore, it can be difficult to diagnose cancer quickly and correctly.

Commonly misdiagnosed types of cancer include melanoma, lymphoma, and br3ast cancer. Lack of information about the general state of health, hasty assessments, and incomplete medical histories are the reasons for an erroneous diagnosis.

10. Pulmonary embolism

A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot gets stuck in the lung, blocking blood flow or oxygen. This is usually caused by deep vein thrombosis. This can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and other symptoms. Often they can be confused with heart disease, for example, a heart attack. They can also be similar to pneumonia in many ways, making it difficult to make a correct diagnosis.