A former professional athlete was misdiagnosed with chronic neurodermatitis and stuck on a merry-go-round of specialist appointments before doctors finally diagnosed his rare vascular disorder.

The 30-year-old Jamaican-American patient had livedoid vasculopathy (LV), which takes around five years to diagnose on average.

“Particularly notable in this case is that a former professional athlete and physically fit active-duty military member became debilitated to the point of requiring a wheelchair for mobility, highlighting the potential severity of LV-associated complications,” his doctors wrote in Cureus.

The patient first presented in primary care with a month-long history of bilateral foot pain, with ulceration and severe pain on the bottom of his left foot.