Document Type : Oral Presentation

Author

• Mohammadreza Motamed

Department of Neurology, Iran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is an auto-immune disorder that harms a person’s central nervous system. Thus, multiple sclerosis can cause bladder or bowel incontinence, vision disturbances, muscle weakness and spasm, mood disturbances, and loss of mobility. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, however, and there is no test that can definitively diagnose a person with multiple sclerosis. Thus, when a patient presents with symptoms that may be caused by multiple sclerosis, this symptoms may be due to diseases other than multiple sclerosis or vice versa .
Diagnosing multiple sclerosis as early as possible is essential to providing treatment appropriate to lessen the effects of the disease. The failure to diagnose  or  wrong diagnose multiple sclerosis in a timely manner can lead to a  progression, resulting in  nerve damage that causes significant impairment.
When physician failed to diagnose in a timely manner or misdiagnose  multiple sclerosis, which delayed treatment and caused patient,s condition to permanently damage  vision, memory, mobility, or brain functioning, it may constitute medical negligence. Similarly, if a treating physician selected or administered the wrong medication  or otherwise prescribed the wrong type of therapeutic intervention for specific form of MS, she or he may have cause for legal action. These are just a few of the many ways in which MS can be mishandled, an all too frequent occurrence in the healthcare field. Common examples of medical malpractice include:
A failure to diagnose or a misdiagnosis
Unnecessary surgery or surgical error, such as operating on the wrong body part.
Prescribing improper medication
Ignoring or misreading test results
Failing to order necessary tests
We present some cases that refer to legal medicine and discussion about causes that leading to refferal judicial proceeding.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• Legal medicine
• misdiagnosis