Differential_diagnosis

In medicine, differential diagnosis (sometimes abbreviated DDx, ddx, or ΔΔ) is the systematic method healthcare providers use to identify the disease causing a patient\'s symptoms. In other words, part of diagnosis is attempting to narrow down the list of possible diagnoses until one emerges as the best.

Differential Diagnosis is the process whereby a given condition or circumstance, called the presenting problem or chief complaint, is examined in terms of underlying causal factors and concurrent phenomena as discerned by appropriate disciplinary perspectives and according to several theoretical paradigms or frames of reference, and compared to known categories of pathology or exceptionality. Differential diagnosis allows the physician to:

1. more clearly understand the condition or circumstance
2. assess reasonable prognosis
3. plan treatment or intervention for the condition or circumstance
4. enable the patient and the family to integrate the condition or circumstance into their lives, until the condition or circumstance may be ameliorated, if possible.

If the patient\'s condition does not improve, the diagnosis must be reassessed. The method of differential diagnosis was first suggested for use in the diagnosis of mental disorders by Emil Kraepelin. It is more systematic than the old-fashioned method of diagnosis by gestalt (impression).^{[citation needed]}

The term differential diagnosis also refers simply to a list of the most common causes of a given symptom, or a list of disorders similar to a given disorder.

The term differential diagnosis also refers to such lists when they are annotated with advice on how to narrow down the list (the book French\'s differential diagnosis is an example).^{[citation needed]} Thus, a differential diagnosis in this sense is medical information specially organized to aid in diagnosis.

Machine differential diagnosis

Machine differential diagnosis is the use of computer software to partly or fully make a differential diagnosis.

Typing in symptoms and signs in web search engines such as Google is one way of making a machine differential diagnosis.^{[citation needed]} This, however, still requires medical skills to compare multiple results. A more specific search engine is eMedicine, in which the entries are in addition graded on importance.

More advanced tools of differential diagnosis, e.g. DiagnosisPro, are commercial softwares.

However, these tools all still require advanced medical skills, in order to rate the symptoms and choose additional tests to deduce the probabilities of different diagnoses. Thus, non-professionals still need to see a health care provider in order to get a proper diagnosis.

Use in popular culture

The television show House, M.D. focuses on a team of diagnosticians that use differential diagnosis to identify patients\' varied afflictions.

See also

• List of medical symptoms
• Medical sign

Notes

References

• "differential diagnosis." Merriam-Webster\'s Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 12 Aug. 2007. Dictionary.com.
• "differential diagnosis." The American Heritage® Stedman\'s Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 12 Aug. 2007. Dictionary.com.

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