In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. The first definition is "the recognition of a disease or condition by its outward signs and symptoms", while the second definition is "the analysis of the underlying physiological/biochemical cause(s) of a disease or condition". The field of mathematics has a vast vocabulary of specialist and technical terms. ... This article is about the medical term. ...

Diagnosis covers a broad spectrum, or spectra, of testing in some form of analysis; collective reasoning using such tests is called the method of diagnostics, leading then to the results of those tests by ideal (ethics) would then be considered a diagnosis, but not necessarily the correct one. In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of between extremes at either end. ... Spectra are conditions or values that vary over a continuum. ... Collective can also refer to the collective pitch flight control in helicopters A collective is a group of people who share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project(s) to achieve a common objective. ... Reasoning is the mental (cognitive) process of looking for reasons to support beliefs, conclusions, actions or feelings. ... ... An ideal is a principle or value that one actively pursues as a goal. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

In medicine, diagnosis or diagnostics is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its signs, symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures. The conclusion reached through this process is called a diagnosis. The term "diagnostic criteria" designates the combination of symptoms which allows the doctor to ascertain the diagnosis of the respective disease. For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... This article is about the medical term. ... In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from συμπιπτω meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ...

Typically, someone with abnormal symptoms will consult a physician, who will then obtain a history of the patient's illness and examine him for signs of disease. The physician will formulate a hypothesis of likely diagnoses and in many cases will obtain further testing to confirm or clarify the diagnosis before providing treatment. For other uses, see Doctor. ... A patient having his blood pressure taken by a doctor. ...

Medical tests commonly performed are measuring blood pressure, checking the pulse rate, listening to the heart with a stethoscope, urine tests, fecal tests, saliva tests, blood tests, medical imaging, electrocardiogram, hydrogen breath test and occasionally biopsy. A medical test is any kind of diagnostic medical procedure performed for health reasons. ... A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring arterial pressure. ... ˌ For other uses, see Pulse (disambiguation). ... Look up stethoscope in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A urinalysis (or UA) is an array of tests performed on urine, usually used in medical diagnosis. ... Blood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. ... Medical imaging designates the ensemble of techniques and processes used to create images of the human body (or parts thereof) for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and function). ... “QRS” redirects here. ... A Hydrogen Breath Test (or HBT) is used as a clinical medical diagnosis for people with irritable bowel syndrome, and common food intolerances. ... Brain biopsy A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ...

The word diagnosis is derived from the Greek words dia which means "by", and gnosis which means "knowledge". The verb is diagnose and a person diagnosing could be considered a diagnostician.

Relationship of diagnosis to medical practice

A physician's job is to know the human body and its functions in terms of normality (homeostasis). The four cornerstones of diagnostic medicine, each essential for understanding homeostasis, are: anatomy (the structure of the human body), physiology (how the body works), pathology (what can go wrong with the anatomy and physiology) and psychology (thought and behavior). Once the doctor knows what is normal and can measure the patient's current condition against those norms, she or he can then determine the patient's particular departure from homeostasis and the degree of departure. This is called the diagnosis. Once a diagnosis has been reached, the doctor is able to propose a management plan, which will include treatment as well as plans for follow-up. From this point on, in addition to treating the patient's condition, the doctor educates the patient about the causes, progression, outcomes, and possible treatments of his ailments, as well as providing advice for maintaining health. For other uses, see Doctor. ... Homeostasis is the property of either an open system or a closed system,[1] especially a living organism, to regulate its internal environment to maintain a stable, constant condition. ... Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A renal cell carcinoma (chromophobe type) viewed on a hematoxylin & eosin stained slide Pathologist redirects here. ... Psychology (from Greek: Literally knowledge of the soul (mind)) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ...

It should be noted however, that medical diagnosis in psychology or psychiatry is problematic. Apart from the fact that there are differing theoretical views toward mental conditions and that there are few "lab" tests available for various major disorders (e.g., clinical depression), a causal analysis with respect to symptomatology and disorder/disease is not always possible. As a result, most if not all mental conditions, function as both symptoms as well as disorders. There are often functional descriptions provided for psychological disorders and these are vulnerable to circular reasoning due to the etiological fuzziness inherent of these diagnostic categories. (BDG, 2006)

Diagnostic procedure

Diagnosis is a fluid process in which the physician responds to information garnered from the patient and others, from a physical examination of the patient, and from medical tests performed upon the patient.

The doctor should consider the patient in his 'well' context rather than simply as a walking medical condition. This entails assessing the socio-political context of the patient (family, work, stress, beliefs), in addition to the patient's physical body, as this often offers vital clues to the patient's condition and its management.

The process of diagnosis begins when the patient consults the doctor and presents a set of complaints (the symptoms). If the patient is unconscious, this condition is the de facto complaint. The doctor then obtains further information from the patient himself (and from those who know him, if present) about the patient's symptoms, his previous state of health, living conditions, and so forth. The term symptom (from the Greek syn = con/plus and pipto = fall, together meaning co-exist) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: A symptom can be a physical condition which shows that one has a particular illness or disorder (see e. ...

Rather than consider the myriad diseases that could afflict the patient, the physician narrows down the possibilities to the illnesses likely to account for the apparent symptoms, making a list of only those conditions that could account for what is wrong with the patient. These are generally ranked in order of probability. Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health) can be defined as a state of poor health. ... This article is about the medical term. ...

The doctor then conducts a physical examination of the patient, studies the patient's medical record, and asks further questions as he goes, in an effort to rule out as many of the potential conditions as possible. When the list is narrowed down to a single condition, this is called the differential diagnosis, and provides the basis for a hypothesis of what is ailing the patient. In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ... A medical record folder being pulled from the records A medical record, health record, or medical chart is a systematic documentation of a patients medical history and care [1][2]. The term Medical record is used both for the physical folder for each individual patient and for the body... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Unless the physician is certain of the condition present, further medical tests are performed or scheduled (such as medical imaging), in part to confirm or disprove the diagnosis but also to document the patient's status to keep the patient's medical history up to date. Consultations with other physicians and specialists in the field may be sought. If unexpected findings are made during this process, the initial hypothesis may be ruled out and the physician must then consider other hypotheses. A medical test is any kind of diagnostic medical procedure performed for health reasons. ... Medical imaging designates the ensemble of techniques and processes used to create images of the human body (or parts thereof) for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and function). ...

Despite all of these complexities, most patient consultations are relatively brief, because many diseases are obvious, or the physician's experience may enable him to recognize the condition quickly. Another factor is that the decision trees used for most diagnostic hypothesis testing are relatively short. In operations research, specifically in decision analysis, a decision tree is a decision support tool that uses a graph or model of decisions and their possible consequences, including chance event outcomes, resource costs, and utility. ...

Once the physician has completed the diagnosis, he explains the prognosis to the patient and proposes a treatment plan which includes therapy and follow-up (further consultations and tests to monitor the condition and the progress of the treatment, if needed), usually according to the guideline provided by the medical field on the treatment of the particular illness. Prognosis (older Greek πρόγνωσις, modern Greek πρόγνωση - literally fore-knowing, foreseeing) is a medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery. ... A medical guideline (also called a clinical guideline and clinical protocol) is a document with the aim of guiding decisions and criteria in specific areas of healthcare, as defined by an authoritative examination of current evidence (evidence-based medicine). ...

Treatment itself may indicate a need for review of the diagnosis if there is a failure to respond to treatments that would normally work.

History of medical diagnostics

The history of medical diagnosis began in earnest from the enlightened days of Hippocrates in ancient Greece but is far from perfect despite the enormous bounty of information made available by medical research including the sequencing of the human genome. The practice of diagnosis continues to be dominated by theories set down in the early 1900s. For other uses, see Hippocrates (disambiguation). ... Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around nine hundred years. ... In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (or primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. ... A graphical representation of the normal human karyotype. ... // Public flight demonstration of an airplane by Alberto Santos-Dumont in Paris, November 12, 1906. ...

Ancient Greece

Over two thousand years ago, Hippocrates recorded the association between disease and heredity. In similar fashion, Pythagoras noted the association between metabolism and heredity (allergy to Fava beans). The medical community, however, has only recently acknowledged the importance of genetics and its relevance to mainstream medicine. Pythagoras of Samos (Greek: ; between 580 and 572 BC–between 500 and 490 BC) was an Ionian (Greek) philosopher[1] and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. ... A few of the metabolic pathways in a cell. ... See Heredity (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... This article is about the general scientific term. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ...

The Oslerian ideal

The ideals of William Osler who transformed the practice of medicine in the early 1900s were based on the principles of the diagnosis and treatment of disease. According to Osler, the functions of a physician were to be able to identify disease and its manifestations, understand its mechanisms, how it may be prevented and how it may be cured. For his medical students he believed that the best textbook was the patient himself – analysis of morbid anatomy and pathology were the keys. The Oslerian ideal continues today, as the basis of the Doctor’s strategy is, "What disease does this patient have and what is the best way for treatment?" The emphasis is on the classification of the disease in order to use the remedies available for its effects to be reversed or ameliorated. The human being in question is representative of a class of people with this type of disease whereas the biological individuality of this person is not given any great weight. Sir William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian-born physician. ... This article is about the medical term. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... A renal cell carcinoma (chromophobe type) viewed on a hematoxylin & eosin stained slide Pathologist redirects here. ...

Garrod's view

The successor to William Osler as Regius Professor at Oxford was Archibald Garrod. Garrod echoed the observations of his Greek counterparts of two millennia ago, ...our chemical individualities are due to our chemical merits as well as our chemical shortcomings; and it is more nearly true to say that the factors which confer upon us our predispositions to and immunities from various mishaps which are spoken of as diseases, are inherent in our very chemical structure; and even in the molecular groupings which confer upon us our individualities, and which went into the making of the chromosomes from which we sprang. Considering that the time that he formulated these ideas were the early 1900's, and the knowledge of DNA encoding genes that in turn encoded proteins responsible for bodily structure and functions not being discovered until some fifty years later it took some time before medicine could fully appreciate the fundamental importance of his concept of diagnosis. Sir Archibald Edward Garrod was an English physician who pioneered the field of inborn errors of metabolism. ... This article is about the biological chromosome. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ...

Present-day Oslerian practice

Whereas Osler laid the founding principles by which medicine should be practiced, Garrod placed these principles in a greater context of a chemical individuality that is inherited and is subject to the mechanisms of evolutionary selection. The Oslerian ideal of medical practice continues to dominate medical philosophy today. The patient is a collective of symptoms to be characterized and analyzed algorithmically in order to draw a diagnosis and subsequently produce a strategy of treatment. Medicine is about problems based solutions. In keeping with this philosophy, today's pathology reports provide a momentary snapshot of the patient's biochemical profile, highlighting the end result of the disease process. A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... The term symptom (from the Greek syn = con/plus and pipto = fall, together meaning co-exist) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: A symptom can be a physical condition which shows that one has a particular illness or disorder (see e. ... Flowcharts are often used to represent algorithms. ... Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. ...

Influence of DNA technology

Garrod's conception of biological individuality was confirmed with the advent of the sequencing of the human genome. Finally the subtle relationship between inheritance, individuality and environment became apparent via the variations detected in DNA. In each patient's DNA lies a script for how their bodies will change and become ill as well as how they will handle the assaults of the environment from the beginning of their life to its end. It is hoped that by knowing a patient's genes that the biological strengths and weaknesses in respect to these assaults will be revealed and disease processes can be predicted before they have the opportunity to manifest. Although knowledge in this area is far from complete, there are already medical interventions based on this. More importantly, the physician, forewarned with this knowledge can guide the patient towards appropriate lifestyle changes to anticipate and mitigate disease processes.

See also

In medicine, Diagnostic codes are used to group and identify diseases, disorders, symptoms, and medical signs, and are used to measure morbidity and mortality. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The term diagnosis of exclusion (per exclusionem) refers to a medical condition whose presence cannot be established with complete confidence from examination or testing. ... As a subfield in artificial intelligence, Diagnosis is concerned with the development of algorithms and techniques that are able to determine whether the behaviour of a system is correct. ... Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) are a classification of hospital case types into groups expected to have similar hospital resource use. ... This article is about the medical term. ... The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a handbook for mental health professionals that lists different categories of mental disorder and the criteria for diagnosing them, according to the publishing organization the American Psychiatric Association. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... This article is about the medical term. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... Medical classification systems are used for a variety of applications in medicine and medical informatics statistical analysis of diseases and therapeutic actions reimbursement e. ... The medical history of a patient (sometimes called anamnesis [1][2] ) is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information (in this case, it is sometimes called heteroanamnesis). ... Medical imaging designates the ensemble of techniques and processes used to create images of the human body (or parts thereof) for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and function). ... A medical record folder being pulled from the records A medical record, health record, or medical chart is a systematic documentation of a patients medical history and care [1][2]. The term Medical record is used both for the physical folder for each individual patient and for the body... A medical test is any kind of diagnostic medical procedure performed for health reasons. ... Brain biopsy A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ... A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring arterial pressure. ... Blood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. ... Diagnostic testing is a form of Genetic testing. ... “QRS” redirects here. ... Fecal occult blood is a term for blood present in the feces that is not visibly apparent. ... In medicine, a fecal fat test is a diagnostic test for fat malabsorption conditions (also referred to as steatorrhea). ... Genetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases, and can also be used to determine a persons ancestry. ... A Hydrogen Breath Test (or HBT) is used as a clinical medical diagnosis for people with irritable bowel syndrome, and common food intolerances. ... ˌ For other uses, see Pulse (disambiguation). ... Look up stethoscope in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A urinalysis (or UA) is an array of tests performed on urine, usually used in medical diagnosis. ... A urinalysis (or UA) is an array of tests performed on urine and one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... A mental illness or mental disorder refers to one of many mental health conditions characterized by distress, impaired cognitive functioning, atypical behavior, emotional dysregulation, and/or maladaptive behavior. ... The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (often referred to simply as The Merck Manual) is one of the worlds most widely used medical textbooks. ... In the United States medical error is estimated to result in 44,000 to 98,000 unnecessary deaths each year and 1,000,000 excess injuries[1]. It is estimated that in a typical 100 to 300 bed hospital in the United States that excess costs of $1,000,000... See also preventable medical errors In the United States medical error is estimated to result in 44,000 to 98,000 unnecessary deaths and 1,000,000 excess injuries each year. ... // In its original application, nocebo had a very specific meaning in the medical domains of pharmacology, and nosology, and aetiology. ... ... // A nursing diagnosis is a standardized statement about the health of a client (who can be an individual, a family, or a community) for the purpose of providing nursing care. ... Pathogenesis is the mechanism by which a certain etiological factor causes disease (pathos = disease, genesis = development). ... A renal cell carcinoma (chromophobe type) viewed on a hematoxylin & eosin stained slide Pathologist redirects here. ... A patient having his blood pressure taken by a doctor. ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... In medicine and (clinical) genetics preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a method to test oocytes prior to fertilization or embryos before they are implanted in the uterus. ... Prenatal diagnosis is the diagnosis of disease or condition in a fetus or embryo before it is born. ... Prognosis (older Greek πρόγνωσις, modern Greek πρόγνωση - literally fore-knowing, foreseeing) is a medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Reasoning is the mental (cognitive) process of looking for reasons to support beliefs, conclusions, actions or feelings. ... It has been suggested that Abductive validation be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Common sense (disambiguation). ... Deductive reasoning is the kind of reasoning where the conclusion is necessitated or implied by previously known premises. ... Defeasible reasoning (sometimes called defeasible logic) is the study of forms of reasoning that, while convincing, are not as formal and rigorous as deductive reasoning. ... Aristotle appears first to establish the mental behaviour of induction as a category of reasoning. ... Inference is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solely on what one already knows. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Similar to induction, but predicated on a known or assumed relationary rule(s) and an observation(s) that contains at least one of the predicates(predictors) of the rule. ... Self diagnosis is the process of diagnosing medical conditions in oneself. ... Look up Therapy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A medical or psychiatric diagnosis which seems to overgeneralise to a wide variety of complaints and symptoms, is often known as a trashcan diagnosis, and is often is given when theres obviously something wrong but the doctor doesnt know what it is. ...

Lists

A listing of diseases. ... // Adenoid disorders Adrenal disorders Allergic disorders Anorectal disorders Anxiety disorders Appendix disorders Articulation disorders Autonomic nerve disorders Balance disorders Behavioral disorders Bleeding disorders Cartilage disorders Cephalic disorders Chromosomal disorders Clotting disorders Communication disorders Conjunctival disorders Connective tissue disorders Cornea disorders Delusional disorders Depressive disorders Disc disorders Dissociative disorders Digestive disorders... . ...

External links

• GPnotebook web site GPnotebook is a British medical database for GPs that provides an immediate reference resource for clinicians worldwide. The database consists of over 30,000 pages of information.
• Free 24/7 DRG & ICD-9-CM lookup powered by Flash Code at icd9coding.com
• Differential Diagnosis
• Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy