Snore-Gonomics - Snoring

Misdiagnosing Snoring

Misdiagnosing Snoring

One of the first issues for a newly diagnosed patient is to consider whether the diagnosis is correct. It is important to validate a diagnosis and be certain of its accuracy. On the other hand, hoping for a misdiagnosis should not be used as a way to vaccilitate and avoid treatment for a serious medical problem. Nevertheless, it is prudent to attempt to confirm a diagnosis via methods such as seeking second opinions, consulting specialists, getting further medical tests, and researching information about the medical condition.

There are various reasons as to why a misdiagnosis can occur including errors by doctors, specialists, and laboratory tests. The patient can also contribute to an error in various ways.

Misdiagnosis can and does occur and is reasonably common with error rates ranging from 1.4% in cancer biopsies to a high 20-40% misdiagnosis rate in emergency or ICU care. Surveys of patients also indicate the chance of experiencing a misdiagnosis to range from 8% to 40%. This makes misdiagnosis one of the most common types of medical mistakes.

There are various types of misdiagnosis ranging from a totally wrong diagnosis to a partial misdiagnosis as to the wrong subtype, underlying condition, medication causes, related conditions, or complications. Conditions for which a person never seeks medical advice are also a common type of misdiagnosis.

Enter ZIP Code:

Diagnosing Snoring

Diagnosing Snoring

Most people seek treatment for snoring because a bed partner alerts them to the problem. However, those that sleep alone often find it more difficult to determine if they snore. If you wake in the morning and do not feel rested after a reasonable number of hours of sleep, it may be a sign that you are snoring.

If you suspect that you snore, you can see a sleep specialist or any physician that specializes in sleep disorders. This doctor will examine your throat, nose, mouth, palate, and neck, and check for underlying health conditions. The doctor may also enroll you in a test at a sleep clinic, where experts can observe your sleep patterns and diagnose your snoring problem.

To get diagnosed for snoring, you can go to either an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT or otolaryngologist), or a sleep clinic.

How Sleep Centers Diagnose Sleep Disorders

If your physician refers you to a sleep center, a team of sleep specialists will use the latest technology to monitor you while you sleep. You will be given a private room, where a technician will attach a variety of monitoring devices to your body once you are ready for bed. Sleep specialists, who are on premises studying several patients at any given time, will observe your sleep patterns using these devices, which monitor brain waves, heart rate, rapid eye movements, and more. While sleeping with a bunch of wires attached to you might seem difficult, most patients find they fall asleep very easily.

The next morning, the technician will remove all the monitoring devices, and you will be able to go straight to work or on to your daily activities. The sleep specialists will analyze the results from your sleep study, and either they or your referring physician will set up a time with you to go over these results, and design a treatment program if necessary. A sleep center can also provide you with equipment to monitor your activities (awake and asleep) at home.

Enter ZIP Code: