section_path: Diagnosis/Misdiagnosis
section_name: Misdiagnosis
paragraph_text: Misdiagnosis
  
  Among people with ischemic stroke, misdiagnosis occurs 2 to 26% of the time. A "stroke chameleon" (SC) is stroke which is diagnosed as something else.
  
  People not having stroke may also be misdiagnosed with the condition. Giving thrombolytics (clot-busting) in such cases causes intracerebral bleeding 1 to 2% of the time, which is less than that of people with stroke. This unnecessary treatment adds to health care costs. Even so, the AHA/ASA guidelines state that starting intravenous tPA in possible mimics is preferred to delaying treatment for additional testing.
  
  Women, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders are more often misdiagnosed for a condition other than stroke when in fact having stroke. In addition, adults under 44 years of age are seven times more likely to have stroke missed than are adults over 75 years of age. This is especially the case for younger people with posterior circulation infarcts. Some medical centers have used hyperacute MRI in experimental studies for people initially thought to have a low likelihood of stroke, and in some of these people, stroke has been found which were then treated with thrombolytic medication.