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Learn the origin, usage, and synonyms of the word diagnosis, which means the art or act of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms. See examples of diagnosis in sentences and related phrases and articles.
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diagnosis, the process of determining the nature of a disease or disorder and distinguishing it from other possible conditions. The term comes from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge.
The diagnostic process is the method by which health professionals select one disease over another, identifying one as the most likely cause of a person’s symptoms. Symptoms that appear early in the course of a disease are often more vague and undifferentiated than those that arise as the disease progresses, making this the most difficult time to make an accurate diagnosis. Reaching an accurate conclusion depends on the timing and the sequence of the symptoms, past medical history and risk factors for certain diseases, and a recent exposure to disease. The physician, in making a diagnosis, also relies on various other clues such as physical signs, nonverbal signals of distress, and the results of selected laboratory and radiological and other imaging tests. From the large number of facts obtained, a list of possible diagnoses can be determined, which are referred to as the differential diagnosis. The physician organizes the list with the most likely diagnosis given first. Additional information is identified, and appropriate tests are selected that will narrow the list or confirm one of the possible diseases.
Traditionally, diagnosis has been defined as the art of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms. Formerly, few diagnostic tests were available to assist the physician, who depended on medical history, observation, and examination. In the 20th century there occurred numerous technological advances in medicine, which resulted in the development of a wide variety of diagnostic tests and new techniques to image tissues. These developments significantly improved the ability of doctors to make accurate diagnoses.
In the 5th century bce, at the time of the Greek physician Hippocrates, there arose significant interest in medicine and personal hygiene. The Greeks recognized the salubrious effects of bathing, fresh air, a good diet, and exercise. The ancient Romans also recognized the influence of these factors on health and even made significant advances in supplying and purifying water and in improving sanitation. Today, a balanced diet, clean air and water, and exercise continue to be emphasized as important factors for maintaining health. The ancient Greeks also introduced the notion that illness resulted from an imbalance between the four humours of the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. They emphasized the value of observation, including bodily signs and excretions. However, the focus was more on predicting the outcome of an illness (i.e., prognosis) and less on its diagnosis. A physician’s reputation depended on accurate prognostic skills, predicting who would recover and who would die or how long an illness would last.
Hippocrates is credited with establishing the ethical basis of the physician’s behaviour, and graduating physicians still recite the Hippocratic oath. His writings document the value of objectively evaluating all aspects of the patient’s symptoms, diet, sleep patterns, and habits. No finding was considered insignificant, and physicians were encouraged to employ all their senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—in making a diagnosis. These principles hold just as true today.
Galen of Pergamum (129 ce–c. 216) is considered the most influential physician after Hippocrates because of his extensive studies in anatomy and physiology. His voluminous writings rendered him the ultimate authority in these fields until the 16th century. As the first experimental neurologist, he described the cranial nerves and the sympathetic nervous system. He observed the structural differences between arteries and veins. One of his most important demonstrations was that the arteries carry blood, not air, as had been taught for 400 years. However, many of his views contained fallacies, which remained unchallenged for centuries. His description of the heart and its chambers and valves, in which he contended that blood passes from the right to the left ventricle by means of invisible pores in the interventricular septum, delayed the discovery of blood circulation for 14 centuries. The true nature of the circulation of blood was not recognized until the early 17th century, when English physician William Harvey published his findings in Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (1628; Anatomical Exercise on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, or simply De Motu Cordis).
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Diagnosis is the process of determining the nature of a disease or disorder and distinguishing it from other possible conditions. Learn about the definition, types, history, and tests of diagnosis from Britannica, the online encyclopedia of science and medicine.
Medical diagnosis (abbreviated Dx, D x, or D s) is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. It is most often referred to as a diagnosis with the medical context being implicit.
Identify possible conditions and treatment related to your symptoms by selecting them on a body map. This tool does not provide medical advice or diagnosis, but it is intended for informational purposes only.
Other articles from symptoms.webmd.com
Sep 1, 2021 · Diagnosis is the endpoint of a complex process centered on a patient, collaborating with both the patient and other sources of clinical information to reason backward as to the potential...
When a person is unwell and asks a doctor what is wrong with them, what they are asking for is a diagnosis. Examining the symptoms, as with a thermometer or stethoscope, and evaluating the results of a procedure such as a throat culture, blood test, or x-ray will help the doctor identify the patient’s illness.
Learn the meaning of diagnosis, a noun that refers to a judgment about a disease or problem, and see how it is used in sentences and phrases. Find out the pronunciation, synonyms, antonyms and translations of diagnosis in different languages.
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related to: diagnosisDownload Doctor Discussion Guide on Site to Learn More About Potential Treatment Option. Learn How a Potential Treatment Option May Help You.
Learn About A Treatment Option for Plaque Psoriasis. Watch Patient Videos. Discover A Treatment Option That May Help Your Plaque Psoriasis.
Get Information About the Stages of T1D & the Importance of Testing Early to Prepare. Discover a Personalized Patient Support Program to Help With Your T1D Journey.
