A heart attack is one of the most serious emergency illnesses you can ever experience. At the same time, it is also one of the illnesses that are frequently misdiagnosed. Here are some of the reasons for these misdiagnoses:
Symptoms Vary By Person
There are literally dozens of heart attack symptoms, from the common chest pain to stomach pain, which most people don't understand. Unfortunately, just like many other diseases, not everyone experiencing a heart attack will exhibit all of the symptoms. Therefore, a relatively inexperienced medical professional may misdiagnose a heart attack in a person who isn't exhibiting all the classic symptoms of the disease.
Symptoms May Vary By Sex
Heart attack symptoms don't just vary by person, they may also vary by the sexes. For example, men are likely to experience symptoms such as a headache, chest pain, and neck pain why women are more likely to experience things like anxiety attacks, stomach pain, and lightheadedness. This means a medic who is more used to dealing with heart attacks in men (and keep it in mind that heart attacks are more common in men than women) may diagnose a woman suffering from the atypical symptoms of a heart attack.
There Are Other Diseases with Similar Symptoms
Another problem is that there are so many diseases whose symptoms mimic those of a heart attack. Some of the diseases that share symptoms with a heart attack include pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas), panic attack, and pneumonia, among others. Such confusing symptoms make it easy to misdiagnose a heart attack.
There Are Cases That Don't Fit the Profile
There is a certain "profile" that heart attacks are expected to fit, but they don't always fit. For example, it is easy to think of a heart attack if the patient is old, is a man, and is white. However, a heart attack can strike anyone, including the young. This means it is easy to misdiagnose the disease in a person that doesn't fit the typical profile of a heart attack victim.
Overworked Medical Workers May Make Mistakes
In some cases, the misdiagnosis doesn't have anything to do with the diseases, but with the medical personnel handling the diagnosis. For example, in areas with overworked medical workers, a doctor may be forced to conduct a diagnosis when they are tired, and this increases the risk of a misdiagnosis.
You don't have a medical malpractice case just because your heart attack was misdiagnosed. However, you do have a medical malpractice case if your doctor's negligence contributed to or caused the misdiagnosis. A medical malpractice lawyer can help evaluate your case and determine whether you should file a claim. To learn more, contact a law firm like Dunbar & Dunbar.
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