What You Need To Know About Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis of Bowel Conditions in the UK
Late or misdiagnosed bowel conditions can sometimes lead to a person's mental or physical health being affected. In this short article we’re going to take a look at the most common misdiagnosed bowel conditions.
Bowel Cancer
In the UK a person passes from bowel cancer every 30 minutes making it the 4th most common cancer. Bowel Cancer UK recently released a statement claiming that the UK lags behind other developed countries when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. The more progressive the cancer the harder it is to treat, Cancer Research UK states that over 54% of cases in the UK are avoidable and in most cases preventable.
Testing Problems for Bowel Conditions
In the UK the bowel screening scheme targets 60 to 74 year olds and provides home stool testing kits. The UK government is currently looking at making the scheme available to those aged 50 to 59. Data shows that almost more than a third of people fail to return their screening kids and the concern is therefore that the chance of early diagnosis is being missed. There are many celebrities out there working alongside the NHS to bring more awareness to bowel cancer screening and how important it is to take full advantage of these screening kits.
The NHS is currently under huge strain including the doctors and departments who treat and diagnose bowel cancer alongside a huge shortage of endoscopies available. With thousands already facing a huge backlog for tests. Bowel Cancer UK are currently campaigning to end the crisis, their main argument being that 9 out of 10 people will survive if they are diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.
Misdiagnosis of Bowel Cancer
There are three main symptoms when looking for signs of bowel cancer: look out for blood in your stool, a change in bowel movements or habits and abdominal pain but they are all common symptoms in other conditions as well leading to a possible delay in or complete misdiagnosis of the condition. Facts tell us that four out of ten people are misdiagnosed at least once before their cancer is eventually diagnosed. GPs play one of the main roles in identifying early signs and symptoms of cancer and it is not uncommon for delays in a patient's referral to hospital to arise at this level resulting in a worsening or spread of the cancer.
Rectal bleeding is a red flag symptom when it comes to bowel cancer mandating further action and investigation or referral by your GP as soon as it is mentioned to them. If this opportunity is missed or delayed the chances of a worse outcome become higher. In these circumstances you may have grounds for a successful medical negligence claim or compensation.
Microscopic Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
IBD, otherwise known as inflammatory bowel disease, includes conditions such as Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Should any form of IBD go untreated or misdiagnosed the consequences could be devastating and in some cases lead to a patient needing major surgery.
Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis cannot be diagnosed by looking at a person’s digestive system through endoscopy and a biopsy is usually also needed. Microscopic colitis’ symptoms typically include fatigue, stomach pain and consistent diarrhoea and can be more difficult to diagnose leading to delays or misdiagnosis.
Misdiagnosis of Bowel Conditions
Guts UK recently released the results of a study they conducted indicating that one in three patients were misdiagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) instead of microscopic colitis. This type of misdiagnosis can lead to patients suffering severe unnecessary pain and debilitating symptoms.
If failure to diagnose any form of IBD has been made then you may be able to pursue a successful misdiagnosis claim and obtain compensation for the consequences of this Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss any concerns you have over your medical treatment, we take a personal approach to each case and will fully advised you on the possible claim and how this can be pursued.