A new study has found that women are commonly misdiagnosing themselves due to information they find on the internet. These women are also improperly treating their supposed illnesses based on that same information.

The study consisted of 1,000 women, and revealed that these women were two times more likely to log onto the internet to self-diagnose their symptoms before seeking the advice of a medical professional. More than half of these women also purchased treatment for their misdiagnosed illnesses.

One-fifth of the women who were involved in the study had at one point falsely diagnosed themselves with a serious condition including breast cancer, arthritis, or high blood pressure. The main problems that were researched on the internet included anxiety, headaches, and depression.

Misdiagnosis can be a serious issue with severe consequences. If you have suffered complications due to a misdiagnosis, you need experienced representation on your side. Please contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-238-1130 today.

A Minnesota couple recently filed suit against a doctor who failed to diagnose their 5-year old daughter with cancer for a year.  According to the misdiagnosis lawsuit, the physician’s delayed diagnosis decreased her chances of survival from 60 percent to 40 percent.  Now, doctors estimate the girl has a 5 percent chance of surviving.

A lower court would not hear the case because of a “reduced-chance” law in Minnesota that prevents misdiagnosis cases from being heard unless the victim’s chances of survival are less than 50 percent.  The lower court felt that the child’s chance of survival was still likely, and that their claim fell under the state’s “reduced-chance” law, preventing them from being able to address the case.

However, the parents appealed to a Minnesota Court of Appeals, which ruled that the case could proceed because their daughter’s chances of survival were made unlikely by the doctor’s negligence.

An Australian man is filing suit after he was misdiagnosed with stomach cancer.  The 59-year old father says he underwent chemotherapy and had 80 percent of his stomach removed before doctors realized that he had been misdiagnosed.

In 2009, the man received lab reports from Gosford Hospital which diagnosed him with stomach cancer.  After 7 chemotherapy sessions and surgery to remove 80 percent of his stomach, doctors at another hospital where he had the surgery informed him that he never had stomach cancer.

The father says he suffers from depression and anxiety after the misdiagnosis.  In addition, due to the surgery, he can no longer eat sitting down.

In the lawsuit, the man is seeking compensation for his physical and mental injuries and an apology from the hospital.  The man’s attorney stated, “There are nutritional issues and that leads to the need to have ongoing medical assistance as well as the need to have psychological counselling to help him get over this terrible event.”

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a misdiagnosis, contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at to learn more about how we can help you.

According to a study recently published in the American Journal of Family Therapy, the majority of children diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are misdiagnosed.

The study’s lead author and researcher, Dr. Robert M. Pressman, says that bad bedtime habits often make children exhibit behavior similar to the behavior of children with ADHD.  For example, children with irregular sleeping habits, no established bed time, or who share a bed with their parents are more likely to throw tantrums, experience behavioral problems at school, and have low self-confidence.

Although not all of these consequences of bad bedtime habits are symptoms of ADHD, Dr. Pressman says, “It looks and feels like ADHD but it is not … We are using the term ‘faux ADHD’ to describe it.”

Researchers found that children with poor sleeping habits were 8 to 10 times more likely to experience behavioral changes.  Of the 704 parents surveyed in the study, 33 percent reported that their children had been recommended ADHD treatment or medication, while only about 5 to 9 percent of children in the U.S. have ADHD.

Contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at today, if you or a loved one’s health has been compromised because of an incorrect diagnosis.

A new study shows that physicians working in hospitals and physicians working in doctors’ offices make about the same amount of mistakes.

Looking at almost 11,000 payments made by physicians for medical malpractice in 2009, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College found that about half of the payments were made by doctors at hospitals and half by doctors at private practices.

Furthermore, the most common type of error committed by physicians working at hospitals was surgical error and the most common type of error committed by physicians working in doctors’ offices was misdiagnosis.

The study can be found in the June 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

To discuss a case of misdiagnosis with an experienced medical malpractice attorney, contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at today.

A family in Indiana recently shared their story of a misdiagnosis with reporters.  The wife and mother of the family, Charlotte York, says when she initially went to the hospital, doctors informed her that she had bronchitis and she was released.  After this, York’s kidneys shut down for several weeks.

York returned to the hospital and doctors diagnosed her with pancreatitis.  The mother’s pancreas had become so swollen it was pushing on her lungs and caused pockets of fluid to fill her stomach.  Doctors have said that she is not in strong enough condition to have surgery to treat the pancreatitis.

In addition, insurance complications have caused York to be transferred between hospitals frequently.  York’s husband worries that she is not spending enough time in one hospital.

Contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at today, if you or someone you love has been misdiagnosed by a medical professional and suffered serious consequences.

An Indiana jury returned a $2.5 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by a man with stage 4 incurable colon cancer.

According to court documents, 42 year-old Jeffrey Davis claims his doctor failed to order the proper tests to rule out colon cancer when he was 35. Davis says his doctor at UAP Clinic in Terra Haute failed to diagnose the colon cancer when presented with rectal bleeding and other gastric complaints.

The jury’s verdict was $2.5 million. Davis had requested $3.1 million, but the state of Indiana caps medical malpractice awards at a total of $1.25 million.

The jury deliberated for six hours after listening to four days of testimony in the trial.

If you have suffered due to a misdiagnosis or improper treatment, please contact a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorney of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling .

According to a recent medical study, patients who have previously been hospitalized for pneumonia are likely to be misdiagnosed with pneumonia at their next hospital visit.  The study analyzed patients who were readmitted to a hospital shortly after being admitted an initial time for pneumonia.

The study was completed by a team of researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  Medical records of 127 patients diagnosed with pneumonia that returned to the hospital within 30 days of being released showed that 72 percent were misdiagnosed with the same illness after being readmitted.

Main reasons cited for the misdiagnoses were preexisting lung conditions and abnormalities on chest X-rays.

Contact the Philadelphia misdiagnosis attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at if you or someone you love has been the victim of a wrong diagnosis.