Have you ever wondered if your doctor has missed something? If so, you aren’t alone. A lot of people get concerned about a delayed or missed diagnosis. However, you may have a lot to fear from a medical overdiagnosis as well.
There are a few diagnoses that are always worth taking a second look. Ask a lot of questions if you’ve been diagnosed with any of the following ailments:
1. Cancer
Cancers have become more and more easily detectable with the advent of new diagnostic tests. However, doctors say that some of the diagnoses may actually do more harm than good.
Thyroid cancer, slow-growing forms of prostate cancer and non-invasive forms of breast cancer are all being diagnosed earlier and earlier. Patients are naturally alarmed at any cancer diagnosis, but treating some of these cancers can be harmful than not treating them. Instead, it may be better to take a watchful approach.
2. Mild dementia
People hope that an early dementia diagnosis can allow them to delay the onset of severe symptoms. However, there’s no definitive information on how many people with mild, age-related symptoms of diagnosis go on to develop full-blown Alzheimer’s disorder. The early detection of dementia may only serve to unnecessarily scare the patients and lead them to take medication that they don’t need.
3. Kidney disease
The diagnostic criteria that doctors use to determine if a patient has symptoms of kidney disease have changed drastically. Before the change, 1 in around 58 adults was diagnosed with kidney disease. Now, as many as 1 out of 8 adults are diagnosed with some form of the disease — even though the rates of kidney failure haven’t increased. It’s likely that many people diagnosed with some form of kidney disease will never develop a serious problem even without treatment.
It’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as a benign drug when you don’t have to take it. Those who suffer through things like unnecessary radiation treatment, biopsies and the side-effects of various medications are as much the victims of negligence as those whose illnesses are overlooked.