Misdiagnosis of Allergies
Alternative diagnoses list for Allergies:
For a diagnosis of Allergies,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Allergies:
Diseases for which Allergies may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Allergies
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Rare Types of Allergies:
Allergies Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Allergies: Medical Mistakes
Related medical mistakes may include:
Allergies: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:
Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Allergies:
People with allergy symptoms, such as the runny nose of allergic rhinitis,
may at first suspect they have a cold--but the "cold" lingers on. It is
important to see a doctor about any respiratory illness that lasts longer than a
week or two. When it appears that the symptoms are caused by an allergy, the
patient should see a physician who understands the diagnosis and treatment of
allergies. If the patient's medical history indicates that the symptoms recur at
the same time each year, the physician will work under the theory that a
seasonal allergen (like pollen) is involved. Properly trained specialists
recognize the patterns of potential allergens common during local seasons and
the association between these patterns and symptoms. The medical history
suggests which allergens are the likely culprits. The doctor also will examine
the mucous membranes, which often appear swollen and pale or bluish in persons
with allergic conditions. (Source: excerpt from Something in the Air Airborne Allergens: NIAID)
Common Misdiagnoses and Allergies
Psoriasis often undiagnosed cause of skin symptoms in children: Children who suffer
from the skin disorder called psoriasis can often go undiagnosed.
The main problem is that psoriasis is rare in children, and not often
seen by physicians for this reason.
children may receive treatment for fungal skin infections.
See misdiagnosis of psoriasis or symptoms of psoriasis.
Chronic lung diseases hard to diagnose: Some of the chronic lung diseases
are difficult to diagnose.
Even the well-knowns conditions such as asthma or lung cancer often fail to be diagnosed early.
Some of the chronic lung diseases with diagnostic difficulties
include asthma (perhaps surprisingly), COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, mesothelioma,
smoker's cough, AIDS-related respiratory conditions (see AIDS), chronic pneumonia, and other respiratory diseases.
Rare possibilities include diseases like psittacosis (bird-related lung infection).
See other types of chronic lung diseases.
Allergies: Rare Types
Rare types of medical disorders and diseases in related medical areas:
Failure To Diagnose Allergies
Failure to diagnose Allergies may be associated with the following:
- Due to the huge array of possible triggering factors for allergies, the specific type of allergy is often difficult to determine and therefore remains untreated. For example an allergy to house dust may be difficult to detect as the allergy symptoms may be similar to those caused by mold allergy, pollen allergy etc
- Food allergies may be overlooked as a cause of migraines. Foods such as chocolate, eggs, oranges, wheat and dairy products are common allergy triggers that result in migraine
- Food allergies may be overlooked as a cause of arthritis in some people. Foods involved are usually those from the nightshade family such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and chilli
- Allergy is often overlooked as a cause of various gastrointestinal symptoms such as flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, bloating and fungal infections
Notes On Hidden Causes Of Allergies
The following may be hidden causes of Allergies:
- The predisposition for developing allergies is often inherited but the allergen can vary. Thus if a mother has a milk allergy, the infant may have a milk allergy instead
- Food allergy is often overlooked as a possible cause or contributing factor in a number of conditions often associated with food allergy. These conditions include skin rashes, yeast infections, intestinal yeast infections, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, headaches, chronic sinus problems, sugar cravings, asthma, arthritis, acne, ADD, ADHD, autism and bed-wetting. These conditions are often triggered by the delayed reactivity form of food allergy rather than the immediate reactivity form
Notes On Wrong Diagnosis Of Allergies
Wrong diagnosis of Allergies may be associated with the following:
- Semen allergies are very rare and are often misdiagnosed as a yeast infection
- Milk allergy may be misdiagnosed as lactose intolerance due to similar symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps and bloating. Treatment with lactase enzyme for lactose intolerance will have no effect on symptoms if the patient is suffering from a milk allergy
- An allergic reaction to seafood may be misdiagnosed as a seafood poisoning and vice versa. For example, ciguatera poisoning and seafood allergy may cause a tingling sensation on the tongue, lips and throat as well as gastrointestinal symptoms and headache
- An allergic eye reaction may be misdiagnosed as an eye infection. However, this is complicated by the fact that eye allergies may lead to secondary eye infections
- Allergies often produce symptoms that can be caused by other upper respiratory conditions such as colds, infections, sinusitis, exercise, excessive dust exposure, cold air and perfumes. This complicates diagnosis and leads to misdiagnosis
- There are a number of skin allergies that can occur and they may be misdiagnosed as other skin conditions or the wrong type of skin allergy may be diagnosed. Accurate allergy diagnosis is essential as often a major part of the treatment involves avoidance of the triggering factor
- The sneezing and runny nose associated with hayfever may be misdiagnosed as a simple cold - especially in infants or young children who are unable to elaborate on the symptoms they are experiencing.
- Infant allergy in babies still being breastfed is often misdiagnosed as colic. The allergy may be a response to something the mother has eaten which is then transferred to the baby through the milk
- A drug allergy may be wrongly diagnosed (in especially in children) in scenarios where a drug such as penicillin is administered to treat a bacterial infection such as an ear infection and the person subsequently develops a rash. The health physician may erroneously believe that the skin rash is a result of a penicillin allergy
- Rashes caused by food allergies may be misdiagnosed as eczema
- Symptoms of milk allergy may mimic those of a viral infection and lead to misdiagnosis. Common symptoms include phlegm, wheezing, diarrhea and weight loss
- Symptoms of gluten allergy may mimic those of tropical intestinal parasites, lactose intolerance, intestinal lymphoma or excess bacteria in the small intestine. Common symptoms include diarrhea and weight loss
- Allergy can result in asthma-like symptoms and be misdiagnosed simply as non-allergic asthma. Likewise, asthma may be misdiagnosed as an allergy. An accurate diagnosis is needed in order to appropriately treat these potentially serious conditions
Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Allergies:
The following medical news items
are relevant to misdiagnosis of Allergies:
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Allergies
or confirming a diagnosis of Allergies,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Allergies may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Allergies.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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