Delayed Diagnosis of TSH-Secreting Adenoma Attributed to Worsening Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in a Military Veteran Because of Provider Anchoring Bias.

Introduction: Anchoring bias occurs when clinicians hold on to previously known information about a patient, with failure to consider the full realm of possibilities to explain new findings. We present a case of delayed diagnosis of thyroid-stimulating-hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (TSHoma), a rare disorder, in a military veteran whose symptoms were misconstrued as being caused from worsening of his prior diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anchoring bias in this case led to 2-year delay in the correct diagnosis.