Failure to diagnose diabetes

Attempts are being made in Pennsylvania to increase awareness of the problems in diagnosing of diabetes. Close to a quarter of individuals with diabetes have yet to be diagnosed. One indicator of the disease is when blood sugar is measured to be too high as this can indicate that the pancreas is not producing enough insulin.

Though there are ways from preventing the disease, a failure to diagnose diabetes can result in a number of major medical complications. Such complications can include amputation, blindness, heart and kidney disorders, stroke and possibly death. However, many such complications can be prevented if the diabetes is diagnosed at an early enough stage and steps are taken to prevent the diabetes from worsening.

As in all circumstances concerning the diagnosis and control of such disease, physicians need to be aware of the varying signs that could alert them to signs of such a problem. Such physicians should encourage patients to be regularly checked, take risk assessments regarding the disease, and also provide commonsense advice on diet and exercise to prevent the onset of diabetes – or at least to help prevent the disease from becoming out of control.

Because the consequences of contracting the disease are so severe, physicians that do fail to diagnose such a problem as diabetes need to be held liable if the failure came about due to negligence. Proving such negligence is complex, and that’s why attorneys that specialize in litigating matters against medical providers can prove useful in providing guidance and advice.

Approximately 26 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and the problem is likely to be on the increase as the population grows more sedentary. It’s therefore important that the disease is diagnosed promptly and accurately.

Source: Yahoo News, “Susquehanna Health Diabetes Event Promotes Awareness and Improved Health,” March 20, 2012