Rationale: The patient is presenting with fatigue and weight loss which may be indicative of diabetes mellitus type 2, and his blood glucose is abnormally high. Stroke requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Pulmonary embolism (a blockage in a lung artery) ; A lung infection; Aortic dissection (tearing of a major artery) Hypoglycemia 7. From the description of his symptoms as well as the normal test results, John’s doctor suspects that John may have GERD. Dissociative Disorders 5. All rights reserved. Although it's a relatively painless…, Life support refers to any combination of machines and medication that keeps a person alive when their organs would otherwise stop working. Then, one by one, using those same clues, they will begin to narrow down the list by finding clues that don't fit. Below are three examples of common differential diagnoses. The overlap in symptoms of various dementias can make it hard to get an accurate diagnosis. Some of these systems are designed for a specific medical problem such as Schizophrenia , Lyme disease or Ventilator Associated Pneumonia . Gaining optimal health is not supposed to be complicated. Differential Diagnosis of Angina Differential Diagnosis: Angina. These red flags include the sudden onset of severe headache and headache following head trauma. How does your doctor figure out your diagnosis? The kidney test results are normal, but Raquel’s thyroid results indicate hyperthyroidism. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. The results from these assessments are normal. Definition of DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS in the Definitions.net dictionary. The article uses the morphological classification of anemia to distinguish macrocytic, normocytic and m … It is not uncommon for multiple doctors to review one patient during differential diagnosis. They each present with diffuse MSK pain, considerable stiffness, and fatigue. Raquel doesn’t use tobacco products and uses alcohol responsibly. She replies that she feels as if she’s been losing weight and that she often feels hot or sweaty. Among the eating disorders, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are far more common in young females, while binge-eating disorder, the most common eating disorder overall, is more common in adults. Classic symptoms for diabetes mellitus type 2 include: Polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, blurred vision, fatigue and weight loss. Both are women, around the same age, and in generally good health. If so, how frequently? Here are some simplified examples of what a differential diagnosis may look like for some common conditions. A differential diagnosis is used to help diagnose physical or mental health disorders that cause similar symptoms. Differential diagnosis Generating a differential diagnosis — that is, developing a list of the possible conditions that might produce a patient's symptoms and signs — is an important part of clinical reasoning. Your doctor may then perform additional tests or assessments to rule out specific conditions or diseases and reach a final diagnosis. Often differential diagnosis is the way of looking at all the potential reasons for the symptoms that are present in an individual in order to obtain a diagnosis. It may be regarded as an application of artificial intelligence. Often, a patient must fill out many forms just to secure a visit with their regular or primary care physician. Common causes of hypertension include certain medications, kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and thyroid problems. ‘The differential diagnosis on a biopsy included adenoid cystic carcinoma and basal cell adenoma.’ ‘Aneurysmal bone cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a … Did the headache start gradually or suddenly? Some patients may have multiple negative test results before they get a diagnosis. Such conditions include: The doctor will then order one or more of the following tests: A person may require multiple in-office examinations and diagnostic tests before they receive a definitive diagnosis. Before any cause can be dismissed, the physician must come up with a good reason. Do you have a family history of certain conditions? Here's information to you help make that…. With this new information, Sue’s doctor now suspects a post-traumatic headache. Sue goes to see her doctor because she’s having a persistent headache. A differential diagnosis is a list of possible conditions or diseases that could be causing your symptoms. They perform an echocardiogram to check for an abnormal rhythm that could lead to clots, which could travel to the brain. It’s based off of the facts obtained from your symptoms, medical history, basic laboratory results, and a physical examination. These questions may include the following: By asking these questions, the doctor will hopefully be able to categorize the chest pain as one of the following types: Once the doctor has narrowed down the type of pain, they will order diagnostic tests to determine the potential cause of the pain. Look it up now! A family member takes Clarence to receive immediate medical attention because they suspect he’s having a stroke. Follow these 5 simple rules if you want to be healthy, lose weight and feel awesome every…, Sometimes it feels unfair to be trapped in your body when you have a chronic illness. 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