The other diseases for which Actinomycosis is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:
Hidradenitis suppurativa: Hidradenitis suppurativa is an infection of the apocrine glands which occurs in the axillae, external genitalia, inguinal and perianal regions. It usually occurs in adolescents and the causative organisms are staphylococci or gram negative organisms. The patient may present with multiple small but painful abscesses with excessive itching and redness. The condition must be differentiated from other conditions such as actinomycosis, carbuncle (history of diabetes must be asked) and tuberculosis. Antibiotics alone may not be helpful and incision and drainage of the abscesses is required with excision of the affected area.
Actinomycosis triggered by dental caries: Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative and granulomatous disease which spreads into the adjacent soft tissue and forms multiple abscesses with sinus tracts which discharge sulphur granules. Dental caries is the most common triggering factoring cases of cervicofacial actinomycosis which is the most common type. The diagnosis of Actinomycosis based on clinical grounds is very difficult due to its varied presentation and number of other diseases which may present in a similar manner. It must be excluded out from other conditions such as lung abscess, abdominal abscess, Crohn's disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, pneumonia, lymphoma, lung cancer etc. When actinomycosis is diagnosed early and treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy, the prognosis is excellent. The more advanced and complicated actinomycotic forms require aggressive antibiotic and surgical therapy for optimal outcome; however, deaths can occur despite such therapy.
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Actinomycosis or confirming a diagnosis of Actinomycosis, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Actinomycosis may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Actinomycosis. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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