Medical misdiagnoses are sadly very common

Back in 2016, Darlene Anita Scott started experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath while training for her seventh marathon. Initially diagnosed with asthma and allergies, she would eventually be diagnosed with heart failure -- she had an enlarged heart, or cardiomyopathy. Within a year, she was given a pacemaker and also diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease also associated with heart failure.

Darlene isn't alone. Receiving a medical misdiagnosis is unfortunately all too common. In the United States, 12 million people are affected by medical diagnostic errors each year.

An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 people die annually from complications from these misdiagnoses.

Women and minorities are 20 to 30 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed.

I spoke with Darlene about her story, along with a range of experts -- from The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine CEO Paul Epner and Dr. David Newman-Toker of Johns Hopkins Medicine to Ron Vianu, CEO of Covera Health and Calondra Tibbs, MPH, COO of WomenHeart The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease --about what is being done to ensure there are less diagnostic errors being made in our healthcare system.

My story for Healthline here: