Many Arizona residents live with chronic pain. Some may also suffer from chronic nausea, depression and dizziness from a young age but are never diagnosed with any disease or disorders. Individuals with such assorted symptoms could actually be suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disease that affects the body’s connective tissue and collagen.
One woman suffered from multiple symptoms throughout her childhood. When she turned 28, she began to experience chronic pain in her lower back and hip. Her doctors ran numerous tests, including CT scans and MRIs. They even performed arthroscopic surgery but found nothing wrong. After becoming injured in a motorcycle accident, she finally talked to a geneticist who discovered that her random symptoms were caused by EDS.
Getting a proper diagnosis for EDS is difficult because the symptoms are often more associated with other joint disorders and diseases. In some cases, patients are diagnosed with hypochondria because it may appear to doctors that there is nothing physically wrong. However, physical therapy and other common treatments for chronic pain can actually be more damaging for someone who has EDS. Even though it is a relatively unknown disorder, approximately one out of 2,000 to 5,000 people are affected with the condition.
If a person who is suffering from EDS is given a misdiagnosis, improper treatment can actually cause more damage. A medical malpractice attorney may assist such victims with filing a lawsuit against the doctors and the hospital where the misdiagnosis was given. The attorney may be able to seek compensation for additional medical expenses, loss of income and any other damages associated with the misdiagnosis. The harmed person may also be entitled to certain punitive damages. Contact an attorney to discuss if you have a valid medical malpractice claim.