Visiting Physician, Jaslok Hospital and Bombay Hospital, Mumbai, Ex. Iatrogenic illnesses are one of the commonest examples. The reason is that a GP cannot remember thousands of names of drugs. Acute attack of Gout is more often missed. Pain often starts in the epigastrium and later is around the peri-umbilical area.
Vomiting is often absent.
Leucocytosis is often absent. Compression sonography of the appendix, spiral CT Scan and a colonoscopy give misguiding results. Finally, I saw this young patient with oedema of the feet extensively investigated to exclude cardiac, kidney, liver and nutritional problems, till he developed oedema of the right hand.