Common Misdiagnoses of Post Nasal Drip

The body naturally produces mucus in the nose and throat, but when it suddenly becomes either thinner or thicker than usual, it is called post nasal drip (or upper airway couch syndrome). The symptoms of this condition include a cough, a sore throat and the feeling that your throat always needs to be cleared. The excess mucus may also cause an ear infection and a voice that sounds hoarse. If you delay treatment, the condition may worsen, resulting in a bacterial infection and blood in the mucus.

Proper Diagnosis Procedure

The doctor should examine your ears, nose and throat to make the diagnosis. Most doctors also take the symptoms into account. Of course, the symptoms of post nasal drip are common to various other conditions, but the goods news is that many have the same treatment.

Since most cases of post nasal drip are caused by a virus, most doctors will recommend a decongestant and cold medications to help clear up the issue. If it is caused by bacteria, an antibiotic will be prescribed. In some cases, allergies can cause post nasal drip, prompting the use of an antihistamine or corticosteroid nasal spray. To determine the cause, most doctors will look at the mucus. If it is yellow or green, it is likely a bacterial infection, while clear mucus indicates allergies or a virus.

Misread Diagnosis

Due to the fact that there are only a few symptoms of post nasal drip, and most are also associated with similar conditions, misdiagnosis of post nasal drip can be common. In some cases, you may get lucky and get the correct treatment since many conditions are cured the same way. However, not all patients are that fortunate. If your doctor incorrectly diagnoses you, it is possible to get a serious bacterial infection or have trouble breathing.

Similar to post nasal drip, whooping cough can cause a runny nose, congestion and a cough. However, those with whooping cough tend to develop additional symptoms after about a week. For example, severe coughing attacks produce phlegm and are often forceful enough to make patients vomit. Breathing may become high-pitched, resulting in a "whoop" sound just after each cough. Since most people with post nasal drip do not have severe whooping cough, doctors who confuse the two conditions may not be paying close attention to the symptoms.

Post nasal drip can cause a chronic cough, but some doctors neglect to diagnose patients with both conditions. Instead, they might diagnose chronic cough only, which includes symptoms like congestion, wheezing and coughing that may bring up blood. The cough has to last at least eight weeks to be considered chronic. Therefore, most doctors who pay attention to the symptoms will only diagnose post nasal drip as a chronic cough if it lasts several weeks (which few cases of post nasal drip do).

Find an Attorney to Represent You

You may be able to sue for medical negligence if your doctor ignored your symptoms or did not perform the proper diagnostic procedures for post nasal drip. If you have suffered long-term damage as a result, you should contact a lawyer.