Pediatric Medical Malpractice: Diseases Commonly Misdiagnosed

Victims of pediatric malpractice often feel the effects of the injury done to them for the rest of their lives.

This makes pediatric malpractice all the more tragic and it makes compensatory damages that are awarded in these cases much higher than cases involving adults. The cost of medical treatment for the entirety of a patient’s life will be much higher if the patient is very young.

Why is misdiagnosis so common with children?

The majority of pediatric malpractice cases involve misdiagnosis, as is the case with medical malpractice involving adults. Diagnosing a child can be especially difficult because children are oftentimes unable to articulate how they feel or specific symptoms. This difficulty does not automatically alleviate liability, however. Pediatricians must have the ability to read the cues the child gives, and help the child to express how they are feeling, making the child feel safe in the process. Failing to be thorough can easily lead to misdiagnosis or a missed diagnosis.

Certain diseases are more difficult to diagnose accurately in young children. This is largely due to the fact that the symptoms of these diseases are somewhat generic. In order to pinpoint the disease a significant number of tests will need to be performed.

While diagnostic errors can occur for any medical ailment, there are certain cases that are exceptionally difficult to identify in young children. These cases tend to have very generic symptoms and may require extensive testing to properly diagnose.

Misdiagnosed diseases

Some serious conditions that can be misdiagnosed are inflammatory diseases like meningitis, pneumonia, and appendicitis.

Meningitis is a medical emergency. It is inflamed membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Because the spinal cord and brain can be affected, meningitis must be identified and treated. Bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms can be accompanied by an infection and this can cause meningitis.

Some symptoms of meningitis include fever, stiff neck, vomiting, irritability, sensitivity to light and sound, headaches, drowsiness, seizures, rash, and confusion. As you can see, many of these symptoms are nonspecific and could be attributed to other afflictions. Because of the serious consequences of meningitis, even if it is a remote possibility, doctors should test for  it.

Pneumonia is another inflammatory disease, but this time it is the lungs that are affected. Air sacs in the lungs can become inflamed. Symptoms can include fever, chills, lethargy, cough (with mucus), shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and diarrhea. These symptoms can mimic those present in bronchitis, tuberculosis, and COPD.

Extensive physical exams and X-rays can sometimes be necessary in order to accurately diagnose pneumonia.
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. When appendicitis is undiagnosed and untreated, an acute inflammation of the appendix can result in the appendix bursting, which can lead to peritonitis and shock. These can be fatal.

Symptoms can include abdominal swelling, fever, nausea, loss of appetite, extreme pain in lower right abdomen, fever, dull pain in upper abdomen, severe cramps, painful urination, and problems with bowel movements.

Crohn’s disease, intestinal infections, bladder or urinary tract infections, gall bladder problems, and gastritis can all present very similar symptoms. In order to correctly diagnose appendicitis doctors will oftentimes need to perform blood and urine tests, ultrasounds, CT scans, or abdominal or rectal examinations.

St. Louis Pediatric Medical Malpractice Lawyer

The consequences of incorrectly diagnosing these inflammatory diseases can be very serious or fatal. If your child has been the victim of pediatric medical malpractice, contact the St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers at the Zevan and Davidson Law Firm.  Our team of legal experts will be able to evaluate your case and will work to protect your rights.

Call us today at (314) 588-7200 to schedule a free consultation.

photo credit: JillK61