For people in New Jersey dealing with autoimmune disorders, the process of getting them diagnosed can seem like an endless investigation into an unsolvable puzzle. While attempting to determine the cause of painful, disruptive and damaging symptoms, doctors and other health care professionals may pursue and even provide treatment for a number of incorrect diagnoses along the way. In some cases, autoimmune diseases are incurable. However, proper treatment and remediation can make a significant difference in the quality and even the length of a patient’s life.
These disorders are caused when the immune system of the body attacks its own healthy tissue. There are more than 110 diseases classified as immune disorders, and they can often be difficult to diagnose or confused for an array of different and more minor problems.
Lupus is one such autoimmune disorder. There are 1.5 million people in the United States with the condition, according to research. The disease can range from mild to severe and lead to death in some cases. However, the blood test used for diagnosis can be confusing, and lupus can both be missed or wrongly diagnosed by primary care doctors.
Failure to diagnose an autoimmune condition can lead to worsening symptoms and quality of life for a patient. In some cases, it may not be possible for someone to fully recover his or her health. In other circumstances, medications and other treatment used for incorrect diagnoses can themselves cause serious side effects.
In some cases, the failure to diagnose a disease can be considered medical malpractice, especially when a physician should have been able to make a correct diagnosis given the available medical evidence. This can be even truer when the patient’s life and health have been damaged as a result. A medical malpractice attorney can represent victims of misdiagnoses that are seeking compensation for the damages as a result.