Articles related to DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

A 16-year-old girl presented with acute aphasia and right-sided weakness consistent with a large-vessel stroke syndrome. Neuroimaging confirmed left middle cerebral artery occlusion, but the underlying etiology was not immediately apparent.

Singer-songwriter Carly Simon described years of mobility limitations initially attributed to arthritis and joint replacement recovery before receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. Her experience highlights the diagnostic challenges created when evolving symptoms appear consistent with existing conditions.

A physician associate in an understaffed emergency department diagnosed a patient’s severe back pain as sciatica after a CT scan read as normal. Five days later, a different clinician identified a perirectal abscess that had already progressed to require multiple surgeries.

A man in his early 30s presenting with post-viral chest pain and bilateral forearm numbness posed a diagnostic challenge when automated ECG interpretation missed findings later consistent with acute pericarditis, including diffuse concave-upward ST elevation, PR depression, and a positive Spodick sign.

A 14-year-old athlete presenting with exertional dyspnea and partial albuterol response prompted a structured biopsychosocial workup that revealed anxiety disorder rather than exercise-induced asthma as the primary driver.

A middle-aged woman with a four-year bipolar disorder diagnosis continued deteriorating despite psychiatric treatment until clinical reassessment pointed toward anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an autoimmune condition whose psychiatric prodrome frequently delays correct diagnosis.