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When it comes to common health care mistakes that warrant medical malpractice claims, misdiagnoses are near the top of the list. Roughly 12 million American adults who seek outpatient care receive a misdiagnosis annually. Approximately 6 million of these cases have the potential to cause serious damage if left unchecked. Here are just a few potential consequences of this kind of medical malpractice.  

3 Ways a Misdiagnosis Can Cause Serious Harm 

1. By Delaying Treatment for the Actual Condition 

Timely treatment improves the prognosis for most diseases and conditions. For example, cancer that is found in the early stages is much easier to eradicate than tumors that have metastasized throughout the body. If you receive a misdiagnosis, though, you will not get the correct treatment for the illness that you actually have. This could threaten your overall quality of life and even reduce total life expectancy, depending on how long the real condition goes untreated. 

2. By Prompting Treatment for the Assumed Condition 

medical malpracticeTreating a serious condition that you do not have can be just as harmful as not treating an illness that you do have. It is common for lumps to develop in the breasts just before and during menstruation, for example, but they are the result of extra fluid and are entirely harmless. If a physician opts to perform a biopsy, though, the patient will be forced to undergo a fairly invasive procedure that poses risks of its own. Misdiagnosing any kind of cancer can be devastating because the treatments for it–chemotherapy and radiation–are so extreme and expose the patient to unnecessary risks. 

3. By Causing Considerable Stress & Anxiety 

Receiving any kind of medical diagnosis can be stressful. The misdiagnosis of an especially serious or life-threatening condition will affect not only the patient but also his or her closest loved ones. When the proposed treatment does not work and symptoms worsen, it only increases anxiety, which may require treatment of its own and affect the patient’s well-being in general. 

 

If you received a misdiagnosis and incurred damages as a result, turn to The Law Office of Gregory S. Young for help filing a medical malpractice claim. Since 1958, this firm has helped injured parties throughout Cincinnati, OH, recover compensation for costs like health care expenses, home care, and lost wages. To learn more about the kinds of cases they take on, visit their website. When you’re ready to start building a medical malpractice claim, call (513) 721-1077 to schedule an initial consultation with a personal injury attorney. 

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