Differential Diagnosis

What is a differential diagnosis?

When you visit your healthcare provider with symptoms, they will begin a process to diagnose your condition. Since there are a lot of different conditions that often share similar symptoms, your provider will create a differential diagnosis, which is a list of possible conditions that could cause your symptoms. A differential diagnosis is not your official diagnosis, but a step before determining what could cause your symptoms.

What does my healthcare provider’s diagnostic process look like?

There are several steps your healthcare provider will take to make an accurate diagnosis including:

1. Asking questions about your symptoms.
2. Reviewing your medical history.
3. Performing a physical examination.
4. Creating a differential diagnosis.
5. Ordering additional tests.
6. Reviewing test results and symptoms.
7. Making a diagnosis.

When is a differential diagnosis performed?

A differential diagnosis occurs when your symptoms match more than one condition and additional tests are necessary before making an accurate diagnosis. Tests will narrow down potential conditions on your healthcare provider’s differential diagnosis list.

How does a differential diagnosis work?

Your healthcare provider will try to learn as much about your symptoms as they can to make a diagnosis. The process begins during an exam when they’ll ask questions related to your condition including:

• What are your symptoms?
• How long have you had those symptoms?
• What is the severity of your symptoms?

Next, your healthcare provider will review your medical history to see if the symptoms connect to any previous health concerns or already diagnosed conditions. Questions about your medical history include:

• Have you experienced these symptoms before?
• Have you noticed anything that might trigger your symptoms or make them worse or better?
• Have you experienced any major changes in your life?
• What medications, vitamins and/or supplements are you taking?

Last, your healthcare provider will perform a physical examination by checking your blood pressure, heart rate and listening to your lungs.

Your provider will compile a list of potential conditions that relate to your symptoms. To confirm your diagnosis, your provider might offer additional tests to confirm your diagnosis. Tests vary based on your symptoms and could include:

• Laboratory tests (blood or urine).
• Imaging tests like an X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• Biopsy.

After your healthcare provider reviews your symptoms, asks questions about your medical history and examines the results of any additional tests, they are able to pinpoint exactly what is causing your symptoms. They’ll then make a final diagnosis and recommended treatment.

What can I expect before a diagnostic evaluation?

Before your provider makes a diagnosis, they will evaluate your symptoms by asking questions that go over your overall health and your medical history. It’s important to bring a list of any medications, vitamins or supplements that you take with you when you visit your provider’s office so they can keep a record to make sure your medications are not influencing your symptoms.

What can I expect during a diagnostic evaluation?

During a differential diagnosis, it might be daunting to see a list of possible conditions that could cause your symptoms. At this stage in the diagnostic process, your healthcare provider will offer tests as a process of elimination to narrow down your specific diagnosis.

What can I expect after a diagnostic evaluation?

It is important to note that a differential diagnosis is not a complete diagnosis. It is one step that your healthcare provider will take before making a final diagnosis. The process to make an accurate diagnosis, especially with more complex conditions, can take time and doesn’t happen immediately.

Following an evaluation, your healthcare provider might order laboratory or imaging tests to confirm diagnostic theories that will pinpoint which condition is most accurate. After the official diagnosis, your healthcare provider will recommend treatment options.

What are the risks of a differential diagnosis?

A differential diagnosis is part of the diagnostic process that eliminates error. Your healthcare provider’s goal is to treat the correct condition and not endanger you. By forming a differential diagnosis, additional testing is necessary to lead your healthcare provider to the correct diagnosis instead of treating symptoms without understanding the cause. If any step of the diagnostic process is incomplete, there is a risk that the differential diagnosis will lead to an inaccurate diagnosis. With the help of additional testing, the likelihood of error after following the diagnostic process significantly reduces.