Misdiagnosis of Diabetes-like symptoms
Misdiagnosis and Diabetes-like symptoms
Metabolic syndrome often undiagnosed: Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X, is
an often overlooked medical condition that causes a cluster of chronic symptoms.
There are often four symptoms and conditions combined: obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure),
high cholesterol, and diabetes (Type 2 diabetes) or in come cases pre-diabetes initially.
See the introduction to metabolic syndrome.
Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss,
there are varying degrees of severity.
It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack, or from delaying too long
to call for emergency help.
The prognosis for treatment is far better for patients treated in the early stages of a heart attack.
The most common misdiagnoses include heartburn, or other less severe causes of chest pain.
See the introduction to heart attack and the symptoms of heart attack.
Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also
many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually have something milder.
Some of the conditions which may be causes of chest pain, causing fear of a heart attack, including
an anxiety attack, heartburn, and so on.
See the causes of chest pain and the symptoms of heart attack.
Undiagnosed causes of weight gain and obesity: Although obesity may be related to lifestyle issues,
there are also a number of medical causes of weight gain or obesity that may go undiagnosed.
Some of the various possibilities include thyroid disorders (i.e. hypothyroidism), polycystic ovarian syndrome (i.e. PCOS),
and various other causes of weight gain.
Metabolic syndrome with its related diabetes (Type 2 diabetes)
is also a consideration, although possibly less helpful in terms of treatment.
See also misdiagnosis of obesity or causes of weight gain.
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.
Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of
medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present
in a variety of different severities.
Diseases in this group include multiple sclerosis, lupus, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia,
thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism),
chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes - all of these can have vague symptoms in their early presentations.
Also, depression can have some symptoms similar to these conditions, and also the reverse,
that many of these conditions can mimic depression and be misdiagnosed as depression.
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed.
The best known, irritable bowel syndrome, is over-diagnosed, whereas other
causes that are less known may be overlooked or misdiagnosed: celiac disease,
Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis (both are called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)),
diabetic gastroparesis, diabetic diarrhea.
Other possibilities include giardia, colon cancer, or other chronic infections.
Rare type of breast cancer without a lump: There is a less common form
of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer.
Its symptoms can be an inflammation of the breast tissue, such as with a breast rash
with redness and warmth, but not necessarily a physical breast lump.
This type of breast cancer should be considered as an uncommon possibility
for certain types of breast symptoms.
Poorly healing leg rashes a classic sign of chronic disease: Recurring leg rashes,
or poorly healing leg rashes, are a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes,
particularly of Type 2 diabetes, but also Type 1 diabetes.
They can also occur with poor diabetic control.
However, there are many other possible causes of leg rashes.
See causes of leg rash or misdiagnosis of diabetes.
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.
Over-diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in obese patients: A diagnosis
of pulmonary hypertension, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension,
is often a misdiagnosis in obese patients.
Exertional dyspnea leads to a diagnostic reading of high right ventricular systolic pressure,
which seems to indicate pulmonary hypertension, but is ultimately found to be an
incorrect diagnosis.
See misdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.
Obesity-related conditions undiagnosed in children: A variety of conditions
are associated with obesity (see obesity), but these tend to be undiagnosed more often
in child patients than in adults.
Some of the overlooked conditions may include hypertension, diabetes, acanthosis nigricans, etc.
See misdiagnosis of obesity or introduction to obesity.
Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms
that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders).
For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, diabetes-like symptoms, and various other symptoms.
Pituitary tumors and other similar conditions are not as rare as physicians tend to believe.
See introduction to pituitary conditions.
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, or GERD.
Other sometimes overlooked possibilities include Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic appendicitis,
Celiac disease, Carcinoid syndrome, gastroparesis, and others. See all types of chronic digestive diseases.
Misdiagnosed weight-related causes of infertility: A woman's weight status
can affect her level of fertility.
Although obesity or overweight can in themselves reduce fertility, there are other
weight-related or associated medical conditions that further reduce fertility.
Some of these hidden causes include COPD, diabetes, thyroid disorders (overactive thyroid
or underactive thyroid) and metabolic syndrome.
See also other causes of infertility.
Silent attack in diabetics: Heart disease is the leading cause of death among diabetics. Patients with type 2 diabetes above the age of 60-65 years are susceptible to silent heart attacks.Diabetes being a multi systemic disorder also affects the nerves causing autonomic neuropathy hence making the heart attack painless.Diabetics who are smokers and have increased blood pressure are more prone for silent attacks and hence these group of patients must undergo screening tests like a treadmill stress test.Some of the symptoms that patients can experience includes mild discomfort in the chest,jaw or arms which is relieved on taking rest,shortness of breath and tiredness. Some of the investigations in addition to a good clinical history that need to be done include an electrocardiogram,estimation of the cardiac enzymes.
Distessing case of pruritus ani: Pruritus ani can be a distressing condition and gets worse
at night, during hot weather and physical exercise in children, threadworm
infestation should be suspected. In adults pruritus ani occurs due to a few
systemic disorders such as eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis, diabetes mellitus,
candidiasis, psoriasis and antibiotic treatment. A complete general physical
examination along with a few investigations can help in coming to the right
diagnosis.
Is your child always hungry?: Type 1 Diabetes also known as Juvenile Diabetes appears during childhood or
adolescence and is a chronic condition which presents with vague symptoms such
as failure to gain weight in spite of a huge appetite. It occurs due to the
inability of the body to produce insulin. The presentation of the condition may
lead to a late diagnosis or a misdiagnosis. Once the child is diagnosed they
must carefully monitored for signs of complications such as hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia
and diabetic ketoacidosis. The treatment and food intake has to be managed
accordingly.
More about Misdiagnosis
» Next page: GLYCOSURIA (Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs)
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