Misdiagnosis of Lupus
Lupus was cited by Reader's Digest as one of the top 10 misdiagnosed diseases. In the article entitled "10 Diseases Doctors Miss", the 10 diseases mentioned were hepatitis C, lupus, celiac disease, hemochromatosis, aneurysm, Lyme disease, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), chlamydia, and sleep apnea. 1
| About misdiagnosis: When checking for a misdiagnosis of Lupus or confirming a diagnosis of Lupus, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Lupus may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Lupus. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis. |
Alternative diagnoses list for Lupus: For a diagnosis of Lupus, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Lupus:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Lyme disease
- Drug-induced lupus - causes by some medication.
- Depression
- Hypochrondria - in the past some people with SLE were diagnosed as hypochrondriac.
Lupus as an alternative diagnosis: The other diseases for which Lupus is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Reiter’s syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Thyroid disorders
Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Lupus: Lupus may be hard to diagnose. It's often mistaken for other diseases. For this reason, lupus has been called the "great imitator." The signs of lupus differ from person to person. Some people have just a few signs; others have more. 2
Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Lupus: The following medical news items are relevant to misdiagnosis of Lupus:
- Connective tissue disease frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed
- Lack of awareness of Lupus is resulting in deaths
- Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because of it’s multitude of symptoms
- Lupus diagnosis often takes 7 to 10 years
- Lupus often misdiagnosed as MS or rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus treatment has improved over the years
- New topical oil therapy for rosacea and acne developed
Misdiagnosis cases for Lupus:
No cases available yet.
Footnotes:
1. Reader's Digest, February 2004, "10 Diseases Doctors Miss", page 120
2. excerpt from The Many Shades of Lupus: NIAMS
Last revision:
June 2, 2003
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