Crohn’s disease is a condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. It is only one type of inflammatory bowel disease, and most commonly occurs either in the colon or the ileum, which is the last section of the small intestine. However, it can affect anywhere along the digestive tract. 

Crohn’s is a long-term condition, which can have various unwelcome symptoms, including: 

• Abdominal pain 
• Diarrhoea 
• Fatigue 
• Unintended weight loss 

If a medical professional fails to identify the disease, and this leads to a longer period of suffering than is necessary, you may be entitled to compensation. 

There is no known cause of Crohn’s disease, but certain factors are believed to contribute to it. These factors include: 

• Problems with your immune system 
• Genes inherited from your parents 
• An abnormal response to a previous infection 
• Smoking (can make symptoms more severe) 

If you are concerned about any of the symptoms listed above, speak to a doctor at your earliest opportunity.

There is no known cure for Crohn’s disease at present, but various treatments to relieve symptoms are available. This can also help to prevent the inflammation from progressing and, in some cases, can help to prevent a person affected by Crohn’s from having to undergo surgery.

Treatment can take various forms and can include:

• Steroid medication (these are called corticosteroids)
• Immunosuppressants to suppress the immune system
• Inflammation-reducing medication
• Removal of the inflamed section of the intestine through surgery

A medical professional should be able to spot the symptoms, undertake the correct investigations, correctly diagnose the condition, and recommend and administer the correct treatment. If this has not happened and it has led to your condition getting worse, you may be in a position to make a claim for compensation.

Crohn's disease can be challenging to diagnose due to symptoms that overlap with other gastrointestinal disorders. Doctors must perform tests and apply their expertise to make sure your symptoms meet the diagnostic criteria for the disease. However, doctors should also be aware of the related conditions that resemble Crohn's disease and take whatever steps are necessary to confirm their diagnosis.

Medical negligence can contribute to misdiagnosis in several ways:

• Failure to recognise symptoms: Crohn's disease symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, and fatigue. These are also common to other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and even gastrointestinal infections. If a doctor dismisses these symptoms as minor or assumes they are related to less severe conditions without thorough investigation, this might constitute negligence.
• Lack of awareness: if a doctor is not sufficiently aware of Crohn's disease, they might fail to consider it as a potential diagnosis. In cases where the doctor should reasonably have considered the possibility that you might have Crohn's disease, this may be considered medical negligence.
• Inadequate diagnostic testing: a correct diagnosis of Crohn's disease typically involves a combination of blood tests, stool tests, endoscopy, colonoscopy, and imaging studies like MRI or CT scans. Negligence can occur if a physician fails to order the appropriate tests or misinterprets the results.
• Delay in testing: even when tests are ordered, delays in conducting these tests or receiving results can postpone the diagnosis. This delay can exacerbate the patient's condition and complicate subsequent treatment. They may be caused by administrative errors, failures by doctors or other mistakes, all of which represent negligence. GPs might also fail to refer patients to specialists, such as gastroenterologists, in a timely manner. Specialist input is often necessary for the accurate diagnosis and management of Crohn's disease and failing to secure this input may be considered negligent.
• Radiology and pathology errors: mistakes when interpreting imaging studies or biopsy results can lead to a Crohn's misdiagnosis. If radiologists or pathologists make errors due to inexperience, oversight or lack of attention to detail, the patient may receive an incorrect diagnosis.
• Inadequate patient history: proper diagnosis often relies on a comprehensive patient history. Failing to take a detailed history, overlooking important symptoms, or not considering a patient's family history of inflammatory bowel disease can all be examples of medical negligence.
• Incorrect treatment: Sometimes, doctors may start treatment based on assumptions without confirming the diagnosis through appropriate tests. This can lead to the administration of incorrect treatments, which may not only fail to improve the patient’s condition but could also cause additional harm. If a patient does not respond to treatment as expected, this should prompt a reassessment of the diagnosis and when this doesn't happen, it may be considered negligence.

Medical negligence leading to Crohn's disease misdiagnosis can have serious implications for patients. Doctors should mitigate these risks by maintaining a high standard of care, staying informed about the latest diagnostic protocols, and communicating thoroughly with patients. If they fail to do so, patients may be entitled to compensation that can help to support their recovery.

Several conditions can be misdiagnosed as Crohn's disease due to their overlapping symptoms. These conditions share common clinical features that can make them difficult to distinguish from Crohn's disease. If you have been diagnosed with Crohn's when you do not have it, or are diagnosed with something else when in fact you have Crohn's disease, this can have serious consequences for your health.

• Irritable bowel syndrome (sometimes called IBS) is often considered when symptoms are chronic, but without the inflammatory markers typical of Crohn's disease. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel habits. This is often treated with dietary changes or medication, which are not suitable to treat Crohn's disease or prevent it from getting worse.
• Ulcerative colitis is also similar to Crohn's, with symptoms including abdominal pain and diarrhoea, but it typically affects only the colon and rectum with continuous inflammation. Endoscopic and histologic exams are usually required to distinguish the two conditions, and if doctors fail to order these tests there is a risk of misdiagnosis. If you have Crohn's misdiagnosed as ulcerative colitis or infectious colitis, which offers a similar risk of misdiagnosis and shares key symptoms, you may not get a suitable treatment for the condition.
• Coeliac disease has similar gastrointestinal symptoms and an inflammatory response that mimics Crohn's disease. Once again, this is typically treated using steroids or dietary restrictions, which are not suitable treatments for Crohn's. Other conditions, like an intestinal tuberculosis infection or a mucosal chronic inflammation, can be misdiagnosed in a way that causes harm to a patient.

In severe cases where people have been misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease, patients underwent surgical treatment that was not necessary. In other situations, patients have been prescribed the wrong medication, or other ineffective treatments that caused them harm, or had symptoms missed or ignored. If you have faced a misdiagnosis that has led to harm in this way, call our solicitors for advice on making a compensation claim.