Misdiagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack
Alternative diagnoses list for Transient Ischemic Attack:
For a diagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Transient Ischemic Attack:
Diseases for which Transient Ischemic Attack may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Transient Ischemic Attack
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Transient Ischemic Attack: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?
Causes of Transient Ischemic Attack may include these medical conditions:
Transient Ischemic Attack Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Transient Ischemic Attack: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:
Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack:
The similarity between migraine and
symptoms of TIA can cause problems in diagnosis. The rare person under age
40 who suffers a TIA may be misdiagnosed as having migraine; similarly,
TIA-prone older patients who suffer migraine may be misdiagnosed as having
stroke-related headaches. (Source: excerpt from Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS)
Common Misdiagnoses and Transient Ischemic Attack
Unnecessary hysterectomies due to undiagnosed bleeding disorder in women: The bleeding disorder
called Von Willebrand's disease is quite common in women, but often fails to be correctly diagnosed.
Women with the condition tend to have heavy periods, since they actually have a bleeding disorder.
Severe afflictions may result in the women receiving a hysterectomy unnecessarily, when the
underlying cause has not been identified.
See the introduction to Von Willebrand's disease and bleeding disorder.
Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who
had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness
because he suffered from sudden inability to speak.
This was initially misdiagnosed as a "nervous breakdown" and other mental conditions.
He was later diagnosed as having had a stroke, and suffering from aphasia (inability to speak),
a well-known complication of stroke (or other brain conditions).
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for
a patient to show mental decline to dementia.
Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions,
such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease,
it can also occur from a side effect or interaction between multiple drugs
that the elderly patient may be taking.
There are also various other possible causes of dementia.
Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms
of severe brain injury are hard to miss,
it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis.
The condition goes by the name of "mild traumatic brain injury" (MTBI).
MTBI symptoms can be mild, and can continue for days or weeks after the injury.
See the symptoms of MTBI or misdiagnosis of MTBI.
MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms
such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked.
This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), for which the
symptoms are typically mild. The symptoms has also relate to a relatively
mild brain injury (e.g. fall), that could have occurred days or even weeks ago.
Vestibular dysfunction, causing vertigo-like symptoms, is a common complication
of mild brain injury.
See causes of dizziness, causes of vertigo, or misdiagnosis of MTBI.
Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition
that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed.
It may be misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease or dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease).
The condition is called "Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus" (NPH) and is caused by having
too much CSF, i.e. too much "fluid on the brain".
One study suggested that 1 in 20 diagnoses of dementia or Parkinson's disease were actually NPH.
See misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or misdiagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had
suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return.
A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion syndrome and these were not being correctly
attributed to their concussion injury.
See introduction to concussion.
Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be
correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients.
These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children.
See misdiagnosis of migraine or introduction to migraine.
TIA's must not be missed: Transient
ischemic attacks are sudden in onset and complete clinical recovery occurs in
less than 24 hours. Average duration of the attack is 5 minutes. Usually five
years after a TIA 1 in 3 people will have stroke. All patients must get carotid
duplex Doppler US and CT scan done at presentation to avoid misdiagnosing the
condition. It can be misdiagnosed as a migraine, epileptic seizure, multiple
sclerosis, Meniere's disease, hypoglycaemia, drug reactions or any psychological
condition. Aim of the treatment must be to minimise the risk of a stroke.
Transient Ischemic Attack: Rare Types
Rare types of medical disorders and diseases in related medical areas:
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack
or confirming a diagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Transient Ischemic Attack may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Transient Ischemic Attack.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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