Maryland Lyme Disease Malpractice Lawyer
Lyme disease malpractice routinely occurs when a patient is incorrectly diagnosed with Lyme disease when the patient actually has a different type of bacterial illness, or has another type of condition with similar symptoms. Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of Lyme disease can also be a form of malpractice, which can have serious consequences as Lyme can damage the body badly when not properly treated.
If you or someone you love was the victim of Lyme disease malpractice, an experienced malpractice attorney can help you pursue a case for compensation. Proving negligence can be a challenge, because of the difficulty of diagnosing Lyme disease.
It can also be complicated to show the extent of damage caused by the doctor’s failure, as opposed to the damage which the underlying infection would have caused even with prompt diagnosis. An experienced Maryland Lyme disease malpractice attorney can provide advice and assistance in putting together a strong case.
Understanding Lyme Disease Malpractice
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention indicates that Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans and animals when they are bitten by a black-legged tick that carries the infection.
Lyme disease can cause symptoms including fatigue, headache, fever, and a skin rash which appears like a bullseye and which is a distinctive hallmark of the infection. If left untreated or if treatment is delayed, the infection can be spread to the nervous system, heart, and joints and can have serious long-term health consequences.
WebMD explains that, unfortunately, misdiagnosis of Lyme is very common. Both false positives and false negatives can occur on lab tests, and patients may test positive for Lyme disease because of a prior infection even though the disease is no longer active. Symptoms of chronic Lyme disease may also closely mimic arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Because of the difficulty in correctly diagnosing Lyme, a doctor who fails to provide an accurate diagnosis is not necessarily guilty of Lyme disease malpractice in every circumstance. The key question is whether the doctor’s actions were reasonably competent and professional in light of the circumstances. If a patient was routinely exposed to ticks, for example, this could be an indicator that the doctor should have properly detected that Lyme disease was the cause of the patient’s associated symptoms.
Getting Legal Help With Lyme Disease Malpractice
An experienced Lyme disease malpractice attorney in Maryland can provide assistance in securing your medical records, as well as in finding expert witnesses who can help to determine if the doctor who diagnosed and/or treated your condition acted appropriately or fell short of what a competent medical professional would have done under the circumstances.
If you have a potential case for medical malpractice in connection with misdiagnosis or failure to appropriately treat Lyme disease, your attorney can help you to bring a case for malpractice so you can be fully and fairly compensated for all damages that have occurred as a direct result of the healthcare provider’s failure. Contact a Maryland Lyme disease malpractice attorney as soon as possible when you believe that you received inadequate medical care in connection with Lyme disease.
