Five commonly misdiagnosed diseases

CNN ^ | September 27, 2007 | Elizabeth Cohen

[Daffynition]

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The celebrity was John Ritter. art.ritter.getty.jpg

Actor John Ritter died in September 2003 from an aortic dissection, a commonly misdiagnosed condition.

The actor died in 2003 of an aortic dissection -- a tearing of the major artery that comes out of the heart. His widow later settled a wrongful death lawsuit against a California hospital, alleging his condition had been misdiagnosed "at least twice."

Experts who study malpractice cases and autopsy reports say certain diseases are misdiagnosed over and over again. It's worth knowing what they are so you won't be a victim.

1. Aortic dissection: Sometimes aortic dissections are easy to diagnose -- a patient feels a distinct tearing sensation in his or her chest. But other times they're pretty easy to miss because the symptoms could point to other diseases, says Dr. Robert Bonow, past president of the American Heart Association. "Sometimes it feels like heartburn," he says.

2. Cancer: In a Harvard study of malpractice claims in the U.S., cancer was far and away the most misdiagnosed illness, primarily breast and colorectal. Study authors attributed this to doctors failing to stick to cancer screening guidelines.

[Osage Orange]

When/if you really, really need one.....you might change your opinion. Maybe.

I know too many doctors that I wouldn't let look at my dog. And I know some vet's I'd rather look at me. LOL!!

Even the wisest/smartest doctor can misdiagnose. It happens.

All that being said, I work with one of the smartest doctor's I've ever been around. And he will at times flat out tell you, "I don't know what's wrong with her/him." Now that's a sign of a darn good doctor...IMO.

[Born Conservative]

TOLD THEM WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME AND THEY IGNORE IT. I'm 44 years old, I know my body.

I'm 44 years old, and there have been several times that I went to the doctor thinking I had one thing, and it turned out it was something else. And I've been an RN for >18 years. While I agree with you that the doc should listen to the patient, the doc is in a MUCH better position to diagnose your condition. The reasons being are that he/she has the knowledge to do so, and he/she is able to look at things objectively. And if you have a doc that doesn't "listen" to you, discuss it with him/her. If it continues after bringing it to his/her attention, find a new doc.

[VOA]

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