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Misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C

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Misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C, particularly chronic hepatitis C, can remain undiagnosed for years. Because the symptoms of hepatitis C can be mild or vague, hepatitis C can be misdiagnosed as another disorder or remain undiagnosed. Reader's Digest reported on a case of a woman undiagnosed with hepatitis C for 19 years, despite suffering varying bouts of fatigue or exhaustion. ¹

Alternative diagnoses list for Chronic Hepatitis C:

For a diagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Chronic Hepatitis C:

Autoimmune hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis B
Chronic hepatitis D
Alcoholic hepatitis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver)
Sclerosing cholangitis
Wilson's disease
Alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency-related liver disease
Medication-secondary liver disease

Diseases for which Chronic Hepatitis C may be an alternative diagnosis

The other diseases for which Chronic Hepatitis C is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:

Alcoholic liver disease

Chronic Hepatitis C Diagnosis: Book Excerpts

Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C:

Differential Diagnosis

The major conditions that can be confused clinically with chronic hepatitis C include

Autoimmune hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis B and D
Alcoholic hepatitis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver)
Sclerosing cholangitis
Wilson's disease
Alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency-related liver disease
Medication-induced liver disease.

(Source: excerpt from Chronic Hepatitis C Current Disease Management: NIDDK)

Common Misdiagnoses and Chronic Hepatitis C

Chronic liver disease often undiagnosed: One study reported that 50% of patients with a chronic liver disease remain undiagnosed by their primary physician. The reasons are multifactorial. Possible conditions include chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, hemochromatosis, or other types of liver condition. See introduction to liver disease or misdiagnosis of liver disease.

General Misdiagnosis Articles

Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.

About misdiagnosis:

When checking for a misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C or confirming a diagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Chronic Hepatitis C may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.

Footnotes:
1. Reader's Digest, February 2004, "10 Diseases Doctors Miss", page 120

» Next page: Undiagnosed Chronic Hepatitis C

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Misdiagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis C