Chicago Misdiagnosis Attorney
In order for most medical conditions to be treated properly and effectively, they must be accurately diagnosed by a healthcare provider. When a patient seeks a diagnosis from a doctor and that doctor or other healthcare provider misdiagnoses the disease or the condition, the patient can suffer severe and life-threatening harm.
In the most egregious cases, a misdiagnosis involves a healthcare provider failing to diagnose a serious yet treatable disease like early-stage cancer, and as a result of the misdiagnoses, the patient never receives treatment and the cancer spreads significantly. Under other circumstances, misdiagnosing a serious condition as a less severe illness can result in a patient continuing to experience pain and discomfort unnecessarily. In some cases, a patient can even be misdiagnosed with a severe illness when in fact that patient has a minor condition. In those cases, the patient might receive invasive and unnecessary treatment, including unnecessary surgery. A Chicago misdiagnosis attorney can help you to learn more about filing a medical malpractice lawsuit after a misdiagnosis.
Commonly Misdiagnosed Medical Conditions and Diseases in Chicago
Some types of illnesses, diseases, and medical conditions are more commonly misdiagnosed than others. With some of these conditions, the symptoms are the same as or quite similar to those of other illnesses. The following are among the more commonly misdiagnosed medical conditions and diseases, according to AARP and Everyday Health:
- Lupus;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- Fibromyalgia;
- Lyme disease;
- Rheumatoid arthritis;
- Chronic fatigue syndrome;
- Multiple sclerosis;
- Celiac disease;
- Crohn’s disease;
- Cancer;
- Heart attack;
- Depression;
- Stroke;
- Thyroid disease; and
- Pulmonary embolism.
Timeline for a Chicago Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
The timeline for most types of medical malpractice lawsuits under Illinois law is two years. Yet the date that the two-year timeline begins will depend upon the specific facts of a patient’s case and when the patient knew or should have known about a healthcare provider’s negligence.
The specific language of the Illinois statute says that a “plaintiff may bring an action within 2 years after the date on which the claimant knew, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have known, of the existence of the person injury, death, or property damage.” In cases where the patient did not learn about the misdiagnosis until later, the claim must still be brought within eight years from the date that the actual harm (i.e., a misdiagnosis) occurred.
Contact Our Misdiagnosis Attorneys in Chicago
There are many different types of conditions that can be serious and are commonly misdiagnosed. In some circumstances, the symptoms or signs of the serious illness mimic those of another less serious condition, and the healthcare provider misdiagnoses the disease. In other cases, a healthcare provider might fail to recognize signs or symptoms of a serious illness like cancer and may fail to recommend that the patient undergo appropriate diagnostic procedures or meet with the relevant specialist.
No matter what the circumstances are under which your healthcare provider misdiagnosed your condition, one of our experienced Chicago misdiagnosis attorneys can speak with you about your options for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC for more information about misdiagnosis claims and seeking compensation in Illinois.
