Top 5 Undiagnosed Diseases

There are many people suffering from diseases that have remained undiagnosed for extended periods of time. Unfortunately there is not a magic button that doctors can push to expedite the diagnosis process and when the condition is complex the diagnosis can be hard to reach. There are 5 diseases that doctors have a hard time accurately diagnosing. Hemochromatosis, Lyme disease, Celiac disease, Polycystic Ovary syndrome and Lupus all have complex symptoms that mimic other conditions. This is why they are the top 5 undiagnosed diseases.

HEMOCHROMATOSIS

Hemochromatosis is the most common form of iron overload disease and the most common genetic disease in the United States. There are two main types of the disease. Primary Hemochromatosis is inherited and Secondary Hemochromatosis is caused by anemia, alcoholism and other disorders.

Hemochromatosis causes the body to absorb too much iron and this can cause liver, heart and pancreas failure if the disease is left untreated.

Hemochromatosis is hard to diagnose because the early symptoms of the disease are stiff joints and fatigue. These symptoms are similar to those of many other conditions that are far more common than Hemochromatosis.

LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks carry the disease and it is the most common arthropod illness in the United States.

Symptoms of Lyme disease are "bulls-eye" rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, stiff neck and swelling of the knees and other large joints.

Although it is extremely common, Lyme disease is still hard to diagnose because of the many manifestations of the disease and the limitations of blood tests.

CELIAC DISEASE

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with nutrient absorption from food. Those who have Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, so when gluten is eaten, the immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Read More...