Mismanagement of Diabetes

Many Baltimore residents suffer from diabetes, a serious health condition that can result in heart, nerve and kidney damage. Thorough and comprehensive medical care can help people diagnosed with diabetes avoid further deterioration in health. However, when medical professionals fail to properly manage diabetes, patients often experience grave complications. If you were injured by the mismanagement of diabetes, you may be eligible for damages to compensate for the harm caused by your physician. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys provide skilled representation to persons whose physician provided inadequate treatment of their diabetes.

Diabetes, a condition that results in excess amounts of glucose in a person’s blood, comes in different forms including type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas either does not produce insulin or produces an insufficient quantity such that the body cannot process glucose in the blood. For type 2 diabetes, a person’s cells develop insulin resistance and become unable to metabolize glucose. Finally, gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy .

Generally, a patient will control diabetes with insulin, medication or by undergoing lifestyle changes. A physician treating a diabetic patient must prescribe the correct medication in the precise amount, as glucose levels that are too high or too low can result in dizziness, fainting, seizures, and coma. Additionally, unregulated diabetes can impact a person’s vision and damage the kidneys. Diabetes can also cause numbness and tingling in extremities. As such, people with diabetes should have their feet checked regularly for sores or wounds, which can become infected if left unattended and ultimately require amputation. Unmanaged diabetes can also lead to strokes and heart attacks.

In Maryland, patients harmed by incompetent medical care, such as the mismanagement of diabetes, can pursue claims against their care providers in a medical malpractice lawsuit. A plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit will typically assert a medical negligence claim against the defendant. A plaintiff alleging a defendant was negligent must first establish the standard of care that applies to the defendant, which is the care that a healthcare provider practicing in the same specialty would provide in a similar situation. Then, the plaintiff must prove that the treatment provided by the defendant departed from the standard of care. In other words, if a competent physician would have prescribed a medication to a patient with diabetes that the defendant failed to prescribe, it may constitute a breach of the standard of care. In most cases, the plaintiff will need to retain a medical expert to explain both the standard of care and how the defendant departed from the standard.

The plaintiff must also show that the defendant’s breach of the standard proximately caused the plaintiff’s harm. In other words, patients must prove that they would not have suffered harm if the defendant provided treatment commensurate with the standard of care. This typically requires expert testimony as well since the defendant may argue that the plaintiff’s damages were an inevitable consequence of diabetes or were caused by factors other than the defendant’s failure to properly manage the plaintiff’s diabetes. A medical malpractice lawyer can provide a case evaluation to review the facts and strength of your case.

A plaintiff who successfully proves that a defendant is liable in a medical malpractice case may be awarded compensation for the economic harm caused by the defendant’s negligence, such as the cost of medical treatment, lost wages, and out-of-pocket expenses, as well as the noneconomic harm, which usually consists of the suffering, mental anguish and pain caused by the plaintiff’s harm.

Diabetes is a complicated condition that must be properly managed to maintain a patient’s health. If you were injured by your physician’s mismanagement of your diabetes, an attorney can help you understand your rights. Arfaa Law Group aggressively advocates for patients who have been harmed by medical negligence. We regularly represent people in medical malpractice cases in Baltimore, where our office is located. You can contact us via our online form or at (410) 889-1850 to set up a meeting.