10 Diseases Most People are Confused to Choose Right Specialist

Diagnostic errors are more common than mistaken medicines. Although common, these diagnostic errors or getting confused with a disease’s symptom for any other disease can pose serious health risks. Many times, sick, exhausted, or achy feeling can be an indication of a serious illness. However, these vague and common symptoms can often lead to misdiagnosis thus ending up with visiting the wrong expert.

Common Diseases That Are Confused with Other Diseases

Here is a list of common diseases that are generally confused with wrong diseases and lead you to visit the wrong specialist.

1. Infections

Infections are the most commonly misdiagnosed ailments. Many times, this misdiagnosis might prove fatal through the use of unnecessary antibiotics, further leading to the growing problem of drug-resistant bacteria.

2. Myocardial infarctions (Heart Attack)

This is the most common disease confused with pulmonary embolism, gallstones, bronchitis, and nervousness. Chest pain along with clutching and heaving may not always necessarily accompany a heart attack. It also can occur due to flatulence!

3. Pulmonary Embolism (Blood Clot in Lungs)

This disease is generally characterized by breathlessness and chest pain. It is usually confused with cardiac illness and leads you to visit the wrong specialist.

4. Stroke

Although the symptoms are obvious, it also features symptoms that are easily confused with other diseases thus leading to serious health risks. Even normal dizziness and headache can be an indication for a precursor or a stroke, but can be mistaken for a migraine or inner ear infection.

5. Celiac Disease

This is an autoimmune disorder marked by an inability to digest gluten and protein content in rye, wheat and barley. It is characterized by symptoms like abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloating, weight loss, anemia, and leg cramps. It is often mistaken for cystic fibrosis, irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease.

6. Parkinson’s Disease

This is a degenerative disorder related to the central nervous system and features symptoms like stiff muscles, tremors in arms, legs, hands, or head and problematic or imbalanced walking. It is generally confused with symptoms of Alzheimer, stroke and stress.

7. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This is a complex disorder characterized by various symptoms like loss of memory, painful lymph, sore throat, extreme exhaustion, and unexplained muscle and joint pain. It is usually confused with hepatitis, sinus problems, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

8. Fibromyalgia

This is a chronic disorder often confused with rheumatoid arthritis and features widespread pain. The main symptoms are increased sensitivity to pain, depression or anxiety and incapacitating fatigue. The key difference is chronic and widespread pain for more than 3 months and at least 11 tender points around the body that are extremely sensitive to pain.

9. Lyme Disease

This is a systematic infection that results from a tick bite. It is characterized by breathlessness, abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea, bull’s eye rash, neck stiffness, and twitching of the eyelids or face. It is usually confused with meningitis, mononucleosis, flu, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

10. Lupus

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that features symptoms, like rash, fatigue, kidney, lung and heart damage, and joint pain. However, it can be confused with symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.