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Common Medical Misdiagnoses in Women

Common Medical Misdiagnoses in Women
Mark Lund
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Women are often improperly treated for these maladies.

  • Heart Disease: The signs in women — shortness of breath, fatigue, and pain in the neck, back, abdomen, or shoulder — are often mistaken for the flu or being overtired.


  • Stroke: The classic symptoms are paralysis, slurred speech, and sudden vertigo. But women experiencing a stroke often have headaches, disorientation, and pain in the face, arms, or legs, which may be misdiagnosed in the emergency room.


  • Attention-Deficit Disorder: Women are more likely to become socially withdrawn than hyperactive and so are treated for depression or anxiety instead.


  • Appendicitis: Almost 25 percent of women are misdiagnosed, versus 9 percent of men; this may be because of the more complex anatomy of the female abdomen.


  • Bladder Cancer: Three-quarters of bladder cancer patients are men — which may be why blood in the urine, the most common sign, is often interpreted in women as a menstruation problem or a urinary-tract infection.
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