Misdiagnosis of epilepsy

Epilepsy is at the centre of what may become the largest group of misdiagnosis cases in the UK and some of the victims are eligible for medical negligence compensation damages for their personal injury because of the doctor's errors.

Although the reasons for this particular doctor's actions are unclear, it is well known that the neurological disorder is difficult to diagnose because there are many conditions other than epilepsy which can cause the characteristic unprovoked seizures.

Diabetes, heart disease, mini-strokes, narcolepsy, migraine and fainting for other reasons are among disorders that may be mistaken for epilepsy. Autism and similar afflictions may also be responsible for children appearing to have the condition.

Epileptic seizures are a sign of abnormal electrical activity in the brain and more than 40 types have been identified. Each has a unique combination of seizure type, typical age of onset, EEG findings, treatment and prognosis.

Epilepsy is most likely to occur in young children and people aged over 65. In some childhood cases, symptoms may disappear with development.

If epilepsy is suspected, an adult will be referred to a neurologist and a child to a specialist paediatrician for further tests.

Although they cannot definitely establish whether a patient has the condition, the two most usual tests are electroencephalogram (EEG) and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan (MRI). These can rule out some other common conditions.

Once diagnosis has been made, the condition can be controlled in about 70 per cent of cases through medication, although it cannot be cured.

Many of the anti-convulsant drugs which are available are extremely strong, especially for young children, and need careful prescribing as their use may lead to black-outs and drug-induced hazes. Sodium valproate is one of the drugs which has been linked to injury to children following misdiagnosis of epilepsy and is known to cause birth defects in babies born to epileptic mothers.

Medical negligence compensation

JMW Solicitors has one of the most experienced and respected medical and clinical negligence compensation claims teams in the UK. We are able to deal with cases using public funding (formerly Legal Aid) or no win no fee in appropriate cases.If, after talking to us, you decide not to take matters further you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged for our initial advice session.

For an assessment of your potential claim, please click here to complete our online enquiry form and one of our specialists will contact you shortly or please contact us on 0800 054 6512