Common Misdiagnoses of Dactylitis

Dactylitis, commonly referred to as sausage digit, is inflammation of a digit (finger or toe). The condition is very painful and may arise from certain underlying causes such as the following:

• Juvenile chronic arthritis
• Gonococcal arthritis
• Leprosy
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Reiter's syndrome
• Sarcoiditis
• Sickle cell anemia
• Treponema pallidum
• Tuberculosis

Because dactylitis is usually indicative of an underlying condition, it is often paired with other symptoms to determine the cause. For example, a case of dactylitis when paired with joint pain may be symptomatic of Reiter's syndrome, which is a rare type of arthritis that causes inflammation of the joints or certain mucous membranes. The pair of symptoms may also point to sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder. Diagnosis of dactylitis can point to its cause and subsequently the type of treatment that may be required.

Diagnosing Dactylitis

In diagnosing dactylitis, the doctor will make a sight examination and will take a medical history. Depending on the co-symptoms, the physician will attempt to determine the underlying cause for the condition. The doctor may order certain tests, including any blood or diagnostic tests, to verify any first diagnosis and then will prescribe proper treatment(s). For example, if the patient suffers dactylitis in addition to some other symptoms that point to tuberculosis, an infectious lung condition, the doctor may order a battery of tests to assess the lungs and check for the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. If tuberculosis is confirmed and is active (as opposed to latent or dormant), the doctor will prescribe medications such as Isoniazid, an antibiotic that is taken for at least nine months. Other antibiotics may also be prescribed for a limited period of time.

Common Misdiagnoses of Dactylitis

In this case, if the doctor misses the dactylitis as a symptom of the tuberculosis as well as other symptoms, the tuberculosis may go undiagnosed. Undiagnosed tuberculosis may lead to meningitis, an extremely contagious infection of the meninges which covers the brain and spinal cord. Untreated meningitis can lead to death.

Dactylitis in itself may not be serious, but if it symptomatic of a more virulent condition, then the doctor must provide a proper diagnosis. Other possibly deadly diseases that may go undiagnosed if the doctor does not recognize dactylitis are treponema pallidum (syphilis) and mycobacterium tuberculosis (bacterial infection that not only affects the lungs but the brain, kidneys and bones as well).

Talk with an Attorney

If you suffered harm because a doctor did not diagnose your dactylitis as well as it underlying cause, you may have a cause of action for medical malpractice. If so, you can recover damages for additional medical costs and lost wages arising from the malpractice as well as any pain and suffering. Find an experienced malpractice attorney to discuss the details of your case and your possible compensation.