Seven diseases that are difficult to diagnose

Contents

Endometriosis
Fibromyalgia
Lyme disease
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Sleep apnea
Multiple sclerosis

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Some diseases make themselves felt right away, others are more cunning. Either they send us signals that are easy to ignore or mislead doctors. Find out about seven diseases that are hard to diagnose.

One of the most difficult diseases to diagnose is fibromyalgia. Patients can go to the doctors for years and look for the cause of pain, and blood tests and X-rays show no cause for concern
Migratory Erythema is the most common symptom of Lyme disease. However, it only occurs in half of the sick. Others have less specific symptoms, which makes diagnosis longer and more difficult
Unfortunately, the Polish sad standard is late diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Polish patients spend years wandering around the surgeries treating subsequent symptoms
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Endometriosis

Recurring abdominal pain, heavy and painful periods, vaginal discharge, and spotting and bleeding between periods can have different causes. One of them is endometriosis, a disease characterized by an abnormal positioning of the lining of the womb.

The cells of the uterine mucosa (endometrium) are located outside the uterine cavity, showing secretory activity in response to hormonal changes occurring in the menstrual cycle. Therefore, the symptoms do not only concern the reproductive system.

Often the first sign of endometrial hyperplasia is recurrent constipation, diarrhea, persistent gas, and chronic abdominal pain. Sometimes the only alarm signal is reduced female fertility. The disease is often asymptomatic and is diagnosed randomly – during various surgical interventions or during a follow-up gynecological examination. It is estimated that almost a decade passes from the first symptoms of the disease to diagnosis. Only one in four women can expect a categorical diagnosis.

Most often, endometriosis is confused with adnexitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and even premenstrual syndrome. Hillary Clinton, Susan Saradon and Whoopi Goldberg spoke openly about the fight against the disease.

This is what a sick person can look like. “Should I write this on my forehead?”

Fibromyalgia

It is a chronic disease associated with abnormal pain perception. It is manifested primarily by pain in the muscles and bones, areas on the body that are very sensitive to touch (so-called tender points) and general fatigue. It happens that patients with fibromyalgia go from doctor to doctor for years and undergo further tests.

Both blood tests and X-rays do not show any serious anomalies, but the observed ailments are so burdensome that they significantly worsen functioning in private and professional life. Interestingly, fibromyalgia has only recently been recognized as a separate disease, and doctors are still divided over whether it is accepted.

Making a diagnosis comes down to excluding other diseases that may mimic the symptoms of fibromyalgia and finding the presence of a minimum of 11 out of 18 tender points on the body. Lady Gaga suffers from the disease.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an extremely dangerous infectious disease transmitted by ticks. The number of patients with Lyme disease is systematically growing. Symptoms of Lyme disease, caused by a spiral bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi they are diverse and some of them are similar to other diseases (influenza, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, rheumatism). This makes Lyme disease diagnosed by doctors of various specialties. One of the most common symptoms is ring-shaped or oval-shaped redness around the tick site that widens circumferentially.

The so-called “migrating erythema” does not occur in all patients with Lyme disease – it affects about 40-60 percent. infected (in the case of children only 10%). In addition to the skin lesion, in the early stages of Lyme disease, general symptoms similar to the flu (muscle and joint pain, fever, general weakness) may appear. In the second and third stages of the disease, organ symptoms are observed – arthritis, neurological and cardiological disorders.

Diagnostics for Lyme disease consists in performing a serological blood test to confirm or rule out the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against Borrelia. The most popular test for detecting Lyme disease is the ELISA test. However, it is only 30% sensitive. Western Blot is a much more sensitive test (as much as 70 percent reliability).

Symptoms of Lyme disease – cutaneous, neurological, joint and cardiac

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

It is still a mystery – the cause of IBS is neither defects in the structure of the digestive system nor disturbances in the functioning of the intestines. The onset of the disease or the exacerbation of its symptoms is often related to the stressful experiences in the patient’s life.

Many patients have symptoms of depression, anxiety and an inability to cope with stress. However, it is difficult to say whether the psychological changes are the cause, symptom or effect of the irritable bowel syndrome. The main symptoms are diarrhea and constipation, often alternating between them.

Symptoms of IBS are also lower abdominal pain, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, embarrassing rumbling and pouring sounds in the abdomen, palpable bowel movements, bloating and gas. On average, a diagnosis is made after about 3 years, often after many years of misdiagnosis, testing and incorrect treatment! Therapy is aimed at relieving symptoms through diet and psychotherapy.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

It can take years to develop with non-specific symptoms and make life much more difficult. Patients often find out about the disease at the age of 25-30, when they try to get pregnant for a long time without success. The clinical picture of PCOS is characterized by the variability of symptoms at different stages of a woman’s life. In childhood, it can cause premature puberty.

In teenagers, it causes menstrual disorders and hirsutism. Adult women are prone to menstrual disorders, ovulation disorders, problems with getting pregnant, obesity and hirsutism. In contrast, elderly women with PCOS have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Before the diagnosis of PCOS is made, the following factors should be excluded: thyroid dysfunction, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperprolactinaemia, Cushing’s syndrome, and the presence of tumors on the ovaries and adrenal glands that cause excessive secretion of androgens.

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Sleep apnea

It is very dangerous – patients stop breathing even several dozen times a night and do not even know it. In the morning – after a bad night’s sleep they experience headaches and exhaustion. They sometimes fall asleep over a book or in front of the TV, worse if behind the wheel. The consequences of the disease, however, can be dire – the lack of sleep affects the body similarly to the consumed alcohol.

It is estimated that sleep apnea can be an indirect cause of as much as 30%. road accidents. Health also deteriorates – it increases the risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke and diabetes. According to experts, up to 2-2,5 million Poles suffer from apnea – the probability of the disease increases with obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Unfortunately, there are few diagnosed – performed in the so-called diagnostics are difficult to access in sleep laboratories. The queue for polysomnography in large cities is about a year.

Multiple sclerosis

Too late diagnosis of MS in Poland is unfortunately still a standard. If the patient does not find the right specialist quickly, he often wanders from office to office for years, treating the next symptoms. Meanwhile, the early initiation of therapy may protect against disability and, in the long run, significantly extend the patient’s quality of life.

One of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis is motor impairment – stiffness and weakness in the limbs or gait disturbance, which occur around 40 percent. people at the time of diagnosis of the disease. Another 21 percent. the onset of MS is associated with a sensory disturbance such as tingling and numbness. Another common symptom is visual impairment – double vision or even loss of vision, which is reported by 12 percent.

Almost all patients experience chronic fatigue and weakness, and often depression. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is based on a thorough history, neurological examination and additional tests. Among them, the most valuable diagnostic method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which makes it possible to visualize the demyelinating changes that are the basis for the diagnosis of the disease, as well as to assess its progress, activity and treatment results.

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