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Diseases » Arthritis » Misdiagnosis
 

Misdiagnosis of Arthritis

Contents
  1. Arthritis: Introduction
  2. Alternative Diagnoses List
  3. Possible Misdiagnoses
  4. Common Misdiagnoses
  5. Rare Types
  6. Curable Types
  7. News about Misdiagnosis
  8. Misdiagnosis Center
  9. Arthritis: Introduction
  10. Symptoms: Arthritis

Alternative diagnoses list for Arthritis:

For a diagnosis of Arthritis, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Arthritis:

Diseases for which Arthritis may be an alternative diagnosis

The other diseases for which Arthritis is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:

Arthritis: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?

Causes of Arthritis may include these medical conditions:

Rare Types of Arthritis:

Arthritis Diagnosis: Book Excerpts

Arthritis: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:

Common Misdiagnoses and Arthritis

Rare undiagnosed iron disorder causes various severe conditions: The rare "iron overload" disorder, hemochromatosis, can cause a variety of symptoms and result in various severe conditions that mimic several of the big name medical conditions. However, since it is quite rare (about 1 in 200 to 1 in 300), it may go undiagnosed, and indeed doctors may not even test for it. It can damage the pancreas, causing pancreatitis, leading to diabetes-like symptoms. It can damage the liver, leading to liver symptoms such as jaundice. Hemochromoatis can also damage the joints, giving the appearance of arthritis. The heart is another organ that excess iron can damage. Fortunately, this condition has a relatively simple treatment, and these complications can often be reversed by treatment of the iron overload causing them. See introduction to hemochromatosis.

Rare form of juvenile arthritis undiagnosed: The disease rheumatoid arthritis (i.e. juvenile arthritis) is fairly well known. But there is a rare form known as Still's disease that can remain an undiagnosed of arthritis-like symptoms. See introduction to Still's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis often undiagnosed cause of joint conditions: Patients with the skin condition psoriasis can also have the related arthritis subtype called "psoriatic arthritis". This arthritic condition tends to be overlooked, even in patients with diagnosed psoriasis. See misdiagnosis of arthritis or psoriasis.

Difficult to diagnose Paget's disease: Paget's disease of the bone is a disease of the older age group and rarely presents itself before the age of 40 years. It is characterised by skeletal deformity due to defect in bone resorption and remodelling which is most likely thought to be due to a viral infection. The condition maybe asymptomatic for a very long time and may take years to diagnose. Most patients may present with joint pain, arthritis and bony tenderness. The difficulty in diagnosis occurs when the condition is mistaken for osteomalacia but this can be ruled out as in osteomalacia the entire skeleton is involved due to vitamin D deficiency. Difficulty arises when it has to be differentiated from metastatic bony lesions.

Rash with abdominal pain can be HSP: Henoch Schonlein purpura is a common vasculitis condition in children. It classically presents with purpura, abdominal pain and arthritis. The presentation usually follows a respiratory tract infection. It must be differentiated from varicella, renal failure, gastroenteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. HSP can involve nearly every organ system. Most of the patients have at least one recurrence. Young patients (<3 y) usually have an improved prognosis. The prognosis is best for patients with minimal or no renal involvement at the onset of the illness.>

Tailor's bottom: Tailor’s bottom or weaver’s bottom is occasionally seen. It is a condition characterised by a bursa overlying the ischial tuberosity. The patient may present with severe pain when sitting especially on a hard chair. Irritation of the sciatic nerve may coexist and the patient may appear to have sciatica. Some of the other conditions that it has to be differentiated from include cellulitis, arthritis, gout and tendonitis

Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Arthritis:

The following medical news items are relevant to misdiagnosis of Arthritis:

General Misdiagnosis Articles

Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.

About misdiagnosis:

When checking for a misdiagnosis of Arthritis or confirming a diagnosis of Arthritis, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Arthritis may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Arthritis. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.


 » Next page: Undiagnosed Arthritis

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