A stroke is no minor issue. It can cause permanent disability and death.

The gravity of the stroke should put doctors on a constant lookout. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many patients with stroke symptoms have been poorly handled due to a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.

As a result, the patients begin to suffer deteriorating health conditions. By this time, the cast had already been set in stone.

All that remains is expensive medical bills, loss of wages, pain, suffering, physical and physiological trauma, and degradation in the quality of one’s life.

Are you or your loved one suffering from stroke misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis? Give us a call today. We will help you correct this injustice and get you the compensation you deserve.

 

Can doctors misdiagnose a stroke?

It pains us to say doctors misdiagnose strokes more often than you imagine. In most cases, this misdiagnosis occurs due to the doctor’s bias.

Generally speaking, strokes occur far more often in the elderly. The usual patients are males over the age of 55. However, due to the changing physical and health conditions, young people of both genders are showing symptoms of strokes.

Like all illnesses, early detection and treatment are the best shot at preventing permanent disability and even death. As such, the right thing for a doctor is to screen for every possible ailment, including stroke, when providing medical help to a patient.

Today’s doctor refuses to take this into account. So when a young or female patient displays clearcut symptoms of stroke, they dismiss the evidence and can carry out other forms of treatment. This misdiagnosis will cause the patients to develop severe complications.

For instance, a female patient might complain of an intense headache. A biased doctor will assume it is a migraine and prescribe painkillers without examining the patient’s medical records, asking professional questions, and carrying out the necessary tests. In the few hours that follow, that intense headache can cause permanent damage to the brain.

Here are many signs that signal the onset of stroke. If you experience these symptoms, demand that your doctor probe deeply instead of assuming it is just a headache.

• Dizziness
• Slurred speech
• Sudden vision loss
• Intense headaches
• Difficulties speaking
• Numbness of the face
• Problems walking or staying balanced

If you suffer a stroke of any degree, get to a doctor immediately and narrate everything. Even if you survive the stroke without noticeable damage, you should still get a test and begin preventive treatment.

If your doctor refused to test you for a stroke, you are dealing with a negligent doctor. Get a competent doctor to treat your symptoms.

Your timely response could save another patient from such negligence.

 

Can a stroke be mistaken for something else?

Stoke can be mistaken for other health issues. Other conditions share similar symptoms with stroke. So if you are dealing with a doctor who believes only older adults have strokes, your stroke might be misdiagnosed.

For instance, dizziness and headaches are common symptoms of migraine and inner ear infections. But they are symptoms of stroke too. A competent door will screen the patient for all possible health issues before setting a course of treatment. A negligent doctor will assume it is not a stroke because the patient does fit into their age or gender bias.

Any doctor that fails to diagnose their patients properly should be held accountable. This is to reverse the injustice done to the patient, save other patients under the doctor’s care, and serve as a deterrent to other negligent doctors.

 

Why are strokes misdiagnosed?

Strokes are misdiagnosed when the attending healthcare worker does not take the time and necessary steps to make a proper diagnosis.

There are many reasons for misdiagnosis, but the most dangerous yet widespread is the belief that strokes occur primarily in older male patients.

Other possible causes of stroke misdiagnosis include

• Failure to distinguish stroke from similar conditions
• Failure to follow the necessary steps
• Misinterpretation or misreading test results
• Failure to carry out appropriate tests
• Failure to review patient’s medical history

Are these familiar? If yes, switch to a competent doctor. You might need to contact your lawyer to investigate if you are a victim of medical malpractice.

What condition can mimic a stroke?

Some of the conditions that can mimic a stroke are:

• Seizures
• Migraine Headaches
• Dizziness
• Facial Weakness or Pain
• Nerve Tingling
• Tinnitus

Whether it is a transient ischemic attack, issues with blood flow, the lack of proper tests, or other issues that lead to cerebrovascular events such as a myocardial infarction, misdiagnosed patients should certainly obtain legal representation. A stroke diagnosis must be up to par, and a missed diagnosis can bring about varying calamities for stroke patients.

Healthcare professionals must be held accountable if they are not able to see the risk factors in younger patients or older patients.

Research from respected institutions such as Johns Hopkins University School on ischemic stroke, acute stroke, and higher Ed physicians point to the importance of paying attention to health data routinely reported and the issues with an improper ischemic stroke diagnosis.

Transient ischemic attacks can lead to neurological deficits, affect brain cells, and can cause a medical emergency. Medical professionals must pay close attention to an acute ischemic stroke and know that missed stroke diagnosis can create immense problems.

If you feel that you or someone close to you needs legal assistance because of stroke misdiagnoses, reach out to our law offices today.

Get the compensation you deserve

Are you a victim of medical malpractice? Has a doctor overlooked the apparent symptoms of a stroke? Are you suffering damage due to a stroke misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis?

Call our medical malpractice doctors for a free initial consultation.