Misdiagnosis of Arthritis
Arthritis: Related Misdiagnoses
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.
Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease
is often over-diagnosed.
Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness symptom might be Alzheimer's,
whereas there are many other less severe possibilities.
Some level of memory decline is normal with aging,
and even a slight loss of acuity may be noticed in the 30's and 40's.
Other conditions can also lead a person to show greater forgetfulness.
For example, depression and depressive disorders can cause a person to
have reduced concentration and thereby poorer memory retention.
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for
a patient to show mental decline to dementia.
Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions,
such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease,
it can also occur from a side effect or interaction between multiple drugs
that the elderly patient may be taking.
There are also various other possible causes of dementia.
Tremor need not be Parkinson's disease: There is the tendency to believe that
any tremor symptom, or shakiness, means Parkinson's disease.
The reality is that there are various possibilities, such as benign essential tremor,
which is mostly harmless.
see the various causes of tremor and misdiagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps,
particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes.
However, there are also various other causes.
See causes of leg cramps or misdiagnosis of diabetes.
Rare diseases misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease: A rare genetic
disorder is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease for men in their 50's.
The disease Fragile X disorder can show only mild symptoms in the early years,
and Parkinsons-like symptoms around age 50.
See misdiagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
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.
Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency
is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis).
See symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency or misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
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
Arthritis: Possibly Deadly Misdiagnoses
Some of the causes, which may potentially be dangerous or fatal
if left undiagnosed, may include:
More about Misdiagnosis
» Next page: Arthritis – Multiple Joints (In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)
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