Skip to main content

Table 5 Misdiagnosis according to false-negative and false-positive

From: Misdiagnosis in occupational and environmental medicine: a scoping review

Clinical specialty (frequency)

False-negative (55 articles)

Both false-negative and -positive (9 articles)

False-positive (15 articles)

Pulmonology

Occupational asthma [10, 11]

Chronic beryllium disease [12,13,14,15,16]

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis [17,18,19]

Pigeon fancier’s lung [20]

Obliterative bronchiolitis [21]

Malignant mesothelioma [22]

Occupational lung cancer [23]

Silicosis [24,25,26,27]

Interstitial lung disease [28,29,30,31,32]

Mesothelioma [33, 34]

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis [35]

Pneumoconiosis [65]

Interstitial lung disease [66, 67]

Asbestosis [68]

Occupational asthma [74, 75]

Bronchial asthma [76]

Asbestos-related cancer [77]

Chronic beryllium disease [78]

Dermatology

Allergic contact dermatitis [36, 37]

Phytophotodermatitis [38]

Allergic laryngitis [39]

 

Latex allergy reaction [79]

Allergic contact dermatitis [80, 81]

Orthopedics or trauma

Musician’s focal dystonia [40]

Calcific tendinitis of the flexor carpi ulnaris [41]

A foreign body [42,43,44]

Condensing osteitis in the clavicle [45]

Workplace injury and illness [69]

Hand-arm vibration syndrome [82]

Occupational overuse syndrome [83]

Carpal tunnel syndrome [84]

Other clinical specialties

Tsutsugamushi disease [46]

Methyl iodide and Manganese poisoning [47]

N-hexane poisoning [48]

Lead poisoning [49, 50]

Mercury poisoning [51, 52]

Polymer fume fever [53]

Irritant vocal cord dysfunction [54, 55]

Multiple chemical sensitivity [56]

Adjustment disorder [57]

Whipple’s disease [58]

Occupational disease, general [59,60,61]

Facial nerve baroparesis [62]

Leptospirosis [63]

Corpus carvernosum thrombosis [64]

Noise-induced hearing loss [70]

Minamata disease [71]

Multiple chemical sensitivity [72]

Environmental illness [73]

Acute kidney injury [85]

Varicella-zoster virus infection [86]

Neurotoxic disease [87]

Cognitive malingering in toxic exposure [88]

  1. The false-negative or false-positive was determined using an occupational or environmental disease as the standard.