Failure to Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a complex disease that causes an array of symptoms. Typically, a person with the symptoms of multiple sclerosis will consult a physician to determine and treat the cause of the symptoms, and obtaining a timely diagnosis is critical to halting the progression and severity of the disease. Thus, when a doctor that does not properly observe and assess a patient’s symptoms and fails to diagnose a patient with multiple sclerosis in a prompt manner, it can have devastating consequences. If your doctor failed to diagnose you with multiple sclerosis, you may be able to pursue a claim for compensation. The dedicated Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group have the resources necessary to present your case and aggressively seek any damages you may be able to recover.

Multiple sclerosis is an auto-immune disorder that harms a person’s central nervous system. Specifically, the immune system of a person’s body attacks the protective materials around nerves in the brain and spinal cord, which damages the nerves and the ability of the nerves in the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. Thus, multiple sclerosis can cause bladder or bowel incontinence, vision disturbances, muscle weakness and spasm, mood disturbances, and loss of mobility. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, however, and there is no test that can definitively diagnose a person with multiple sclerosis. Thus, when a patient presents with symptoms that may be caused by multiple sclerosis, the doctor treating the patient must be vigilant in seeking an accurate diagnosis. In other words, the doctor must obtain a complete medical history and run the appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests needed to eliminate other illnesses as a potential cause of the patient’s symptoms.

Diagnosing multiple sclerosis as early as possible is essential to providing treatment appropriate to lessen the effects of the disease. The failure to diagnose multiple sclerosis in a timely manner can lead to a rapid progression, resulting in irreparable nerve damage that causes significant impairments. If your doctor failed to diagnose you with multiple sclerosis, you may be able to seek damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit, and a seasoned medical negligence lawyer can help.

Generally, to recover compensation in a medical malpractice lawsuit, you must show that your treatment provider was negligent. In the practice of medicine, a provider is negligent if he or she fails to provide treatment the comports with the appropriate standard of care, and the patient suffers harm as a result. In other words, you must show not only that your physician deviated from the standard of care, but that the deviation caused you to suffer actual harm. The standard of care that applies to medical providers is the care that a similarly skilled and trained professional in the same practice would provide when presented with the same set of facts.

If you are able to successfully establish that your doctor’s negligence caused your harm, you may be awarded damages. Generally, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case can recover the cost of any medical treatment needed because of the negligence, and the cost of any treatment that will be needed in the future. You may also be awarded damages for lost wages if you could not work because of your harm, and compensation for any pain and suffering you endured.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that is best treated as soon as symptoms appear, and when a doctor fails to diagnose a patient with multiple sclerosis, it can cause substantial damage. If you were harmed by your doctor's failure to diagnose your multiple sclerosis in Baltimore, an attorney can evaluate what redress may be available for your harm. At Arfaa Law Group, we have the skills and experience needed to help you assert your rights, and we will advocate tirelessly on your behalf through litigation, settlement negotiations, or trial proceedings. You can contact us through our online form or at 410-889-1850 to set up a confidential and complimentary conference.