Lyme disease misdiagnosis can lead to medical malpractice claim

For New Yorkers who are sick, it is imperative that doctors provide an accurate diagnosis. For potentially serious illnesses, this has greater relevance. If the medical professionals make a mistake in the diagnosis and prescribe the wrong treatment, it can make the person sicker or lead to death.

Lyme disease is a serious illness that can be misdiagnosed. For people who have faced this issue, it is important to understand certain conditions that might be similar. Lyme disease comes from ticks. The person may have a rash shaped like a bull’s-eye, headache, feel fatigued, experience chills and have a fever. Still, these symptoms can be indicative of many illnesses and conditions. Lyme disease can be misdiagnosed as Borrelia miyamotoi. This comes from deer ticks and can be found in the same places where Lyme disease is common. The symptoms are similar. However, those suffering from B miyamotoi rarely have a rash.

A summer flu could also be misdiagnosed as Lyme disease. This is especially true since Lyme disease does not always result in a rash. Documented incidents of this type of misdiagnosis have been published in medical journals. Finally, patients with cellulitis generally have one or all of inflammation, warmth around the area, the area being tender to the touch, swelling and redness. This might lead a medical professional to mistake cellulitis for Lyme disease.

In some instances, a misdiagnosis does not result in life-changing consequences. For others, however, there can be long-term damage and even death if a medical professional is unable to accurately assess and treat an illness, condition or injury. For people who have been impacted by a misdiagnosis, a medical malpractice lawsuit may cover medical costs, lost income and more. A law firm experienced in misdiagnosis may be able to help.

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