Misdiagnosis News and Research

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Renaissance in drug development for rare diseases

Once famously described as "orphan diseases, too small to be noticed, too small to be funded" in the Hollywood drama Lorenzo's Oil, rare diseases are getting unprecedented attention today among drug manufacturers, who are ramping up research efforts and marketing new medicines that promise fuller lives for children and other patients with these heartbreaking conditions.

14 May 2013

Longer looks: Paying the oncologist; plenty of diagnostic errors, a patient revolution

When the automatic spending cuts kicked in for Medicare this month, every doctor saw a 2 percent reduction in reimbursement from the government insurance program. But cancer doctors have made the most noise

26 Apr 2013

Bipolar disorder questionnaires limited for patients with SUD

Researchers advise caution when using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire and the Hypomania Checklist-32 to diagnose bipolar disorder in patients treated for substance use disorders.

25 Apr 2013

$Johns Hopkins researchers find that diagnostic errors accounted for largest fraction of claims$

Johns Hopkins researchers find that diagnostic errors accounted for largest fraction of claims

In reviewing 25 years of U.S. malpractice claim payouts, Johns Hopkins researchers found that diagnostic errors — not surgical mistakes or medication overdoses — accounted for the largest fraction of claims, the most severe patient harm, and the highest total of penalty payouts.

23 Apr 2013

Report: Patients with mental health problems need culturally sensitive treatment

Members of the Deaf community who suffer from mental health problems need culturally sensitive treatment to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, according to a report in the March Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

13 Mar 2013

New bedside electronic device can determine the cause of severe dizziness

A bedside electronic device that measures eye movements can successfully determine whether the cause of severe, continuous, disabling dizziness is a stroke or something benign, according to results of a small study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

6 Mar 2013

Misdiagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder and ADHD can jeopardize patient care

On the surface, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear very similar, with impaired attention, memory, or behavioral control. But Prof. Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences argues that these two neuropsychological disorders have very different roots - and there are enormous consequences if they are mistaken for each other.

20 Dec 2012

Combination of imaging and biomarker tests helps predict Alzheimer's in patients with MCI

Employing a combination of imaging and biomarker tests improves the ability of doctors to predict Alzheimer's in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

11 Dec 2012

Study: Only one third of MSM can easily access HIV services

A large-scale study of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), conducted by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), indicates that only one third of MSM can easily access condoms, lubricant, HIV testing, and HIV treatment.

29 Nov 2012

Ocular sebaceous carcinoma rare, but often misdiagnosed in UK

Ocular sebaceous carcinoma is rare in the UK, say researchers in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

8 Nov 2012

Canadian Cardiovascular Society issues new pediatric heart failure guidelines

The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the first in Canada to issue guidelines aimed at helping primary care and emergency physicians, as well as specialists, recognize and manage heart failure in children. The guidelines were released today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.

30 Oct 2012

Mental Health experts examine classifications of children's illness; Eating disorders patients worry about coverage

The Wall Street Journal looks at the effort to include kids' problems in the newest revision of psychiatrists' diagnostic manual. Also, KHN offers a story about the debate over health insurance for people with eating problems.

20 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 19, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how Medicare and women's health issues are playing in a number of House and Senate races.

19 Oct 2012

Differentiating features of BD, early-onset ADHD identified

Research findings published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology have identified differentiating features between early-onset bipolar disorder and combined attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

3 Oct 2012

Biopolar disorder screening uncovers hidden anxiety

Patients who receive a false-positive diagnosis during screening tests for bipolar disorder are likely to have an undiagnosed anxiety disorder, suggest findings published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

2 Oct 2012

ICU misdiagnosis alarmingly common in the acute care setting

Each year as many as 40,500 critically ill U.S. hospital patients die with an unknown medical condition that may have caused or contributed to their death, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts report in a recent study.

28 Aug 2012

Clinicians need to discuss disorders of consciousness with ethical sensitivity

New tools have confirmed high rates of misdiagnosis of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, such as the vegetative state. An increasing number of patients' families wish to use these novel techniques for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

3 Aug 2012

Scientists link some cases of Essential Tremor to specific genetic problem

Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine and CHUM hospitals have linked some cases of Essential Tremor (ET) to a specific genetic problem. ET is the most common movement disorder, becoming increasingly frequent with increasing age, which is characterized by an involuntary shaking movement (tremor) that occurs with motion, particularly when doing precise fine movement.

3 Aug 2012

Malaria misdiagnosis: an interview with Dr Toby Leslie

Malaria is caused by a multi-staged parasite which is transmitted by the bite of infected female anopheles mosquitoes. It affects millions of people and kills more than 500,000 people throughout the world every year.

26 Jul 2012