Naperville Lawyers For Misdiagnosis And Failure To Diagnose

Last updated on March 25, 2025

When health care providers fail to accurately diagnose a medical condition or miss it entirely, patients can suffer devastating consequences. Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose occur when doctors incorrectly identify a condition or don’t identify it at all, often leading to delayed treatment, worsening health conditions or even death in Naperville and throughout DuPage County.

At Mathys & Schneid Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ve recovered more than $150 million for our clients since 2005, including significant recoveries for medical malpractice victims. Our Naperville medical malpractice attorneys leverage over 75 years of combined legal experience to build strong cases for patients harmed by diagnostic errors.

Common Types Of Medical Misdiagnosis

Diagnostic errors can take several forms, each with potentially serious consequences for patients. Common types include:

• Wrong diagnosis
• Missed diagnosis
• Delayed diagnosis
• Failure to recognize complications
• Failure to diagnose related condition
• Failure to order appropriate tests
• Misinterpreted test results

These errors often result from rushed examinations, communication failures between providers, inadequate medical histories or lack of proper follow-up care.

Commonly Misdiagnosed Conditions

Some medical conditions are more frequently misdiagnosed than others due to complex or similar symptoms. Our experience handling misdiagnosis cases in Naperville includes:

• Heart attacks: Often mistaken for indigestion, anxiety or muscle pain, particularly in women whose symptoms may differ from the “classic” signs.
• Strokes: Frequently misdiagnosed as migraines, intoxication or inner ear infections, especially in younger patients.
• Cancer: Colorectal, lung, breast and pancreatic cancers are commonly misdiagnosed, with symptoms attributed to less serious conditions.
• Pulmonary embolism: These dangerous blood clots in the lungs may be confused with pneumonia, asthma or anxiety.
• Lyme disease: Often called the “great imitator” because its symptoms resemble many other conditions, leading to frequent misdiagnosis.
• Multiple sclerosis: Symptoms can mimic other neurological or autoimmune disorders, resulting in delayed or incorrect diagnosis.
• Celiac disease: Frequently confused with irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive disorders, delaying proper treatment.
• Sepsis: This life-threatening condition requires immediate intervention but is often mistaken for less serious infections.

These misdiagnoses can lead to unnecessary treatments, delayed proper care and significant worsening of conditions that might have been manageable with early intervention.

How Mathys & Schneid Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With Your Misdiagnosis Claim

When you’ve been harmed by a diagnostic error, our Naperville medical malpractice lawyers provide comprehensive legal support:

• Thoroughly investigating your medical records to identify where errors occurred.
• Consulting with medical professionals to establish the standard of care and how it was breached.
• Documenting all damages resulting from the misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.
• Building a compelling case that connects the diagnostic error to your injuries.
• Negotiating aggressively with insurance companies for fair compensation.
• Taking your case to trial when necessary to secure the compensation you deserve.

With our extensive experience in medical malpractice litigation, we understand the technical and legal complexities these cases present.

Frequently Asked Questions About Misdiagnosis Claims

Here are answers to some common questions we receive from clients in Naperville and surrounding areas:

How do you prove misdiagnosis?

Proving a misdiagnosis claim requires establishing four key elements: a doctor-patient relationship existed, the doctor failed to provide treatment in line with the standard of care, this negligence caused harm and you suffered damages as a result. We work with medical professionals to demonstrate how the diagnostic error fell below acceptable standards and directly led to your injuries or worsened condition.

How long do you have to file a misdiagnosis lawsuit?

In Illinois, you generally have two years from when you knew or should have known about the misdiagnosis to file a lawsuit. However, there’s a maximum limit of four years from when the error occurred, regardless of when it was discovered. These deadlines have few exceptions, making it critical to consult with our attorneys promptly.

What types of compensation can you recover?

Victims of diagnostic errors may recover damages, including medical expenses for additional treatments, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, and costs of ongoing care. The specific compensation available depends on your unique circumstances, including the severity of harm caused by the misdiagnosis.

Contact Our Naperville Misdiagnosis Lawyers

Call Mathys & Schneid Personal Injury Lawyers at 630-848-9294 for a free consultation about your misdiagnosis claim. You can also reach us through our online contact form to schedule a no-obligation case review.