Differential diagnoses is widely used in the medical field, so what exactly is differential diagnoses? Differential diagnoses is used when a patient presents with symptoms and the physician or medical personnel differentiate between diagnoses that may present with similar symptoms, pretty much ruling out and eliminating certain diagnoses to come up with the correct diagnosis (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2011).
What criteria must be met before a final diagnosis can be made?
Before a final diagnoses is made, all other possible diagnosis that may present with those same signs and symptoms must be rule out or eliminated. Also life threating condition must be consider and rule out. Diagnostic measure such as history, physical examination, diagnostic studies,
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Three examples of differential diagnosis that may cause a patient to complain of sore throat could be, mononucleosis, tonsillitis and epiglottitis. For all three of these diagnosis sore throat is one the classic signs that patients complains of (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2011).
Mononucleosis usually present with sore throat, malaise, generalized aching and headache. The pain in the throat is usually intense along with lymphadenopathy. Also the pharynx and tonsil is inflamed with yellowish or greenish exudate. The cause of mononucleosis is the Epstein-Barr virus. Diagnostic studies for this patient would include a complete blood count (CBC), a monospot test and liver function test. Confirmation of this diagnosis includes increased white blood cell count, a positive monospot and elevated liver function (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2011).
Tonsillitis usually presents with sore throat, difficulty swallowing, fever, tonsils are very swollen and exudate that varies in color. Definitive diagnostic workup would include a throat culture, rapid strep test, monospot test if cervical lymph nodes are swollen, radiograph of the neck to rule out epiglottitis and a computed tomography (CT) to rule out peritonsillar abscess. Confirmation of this diagnosis would include a positive throat culture, rapid strep and possible monospot test (Goolsby & Grubbs,
R.S. has chronic bronchitis. According to the UC San Francisco Medical Center “Chronic bronchitis is a common type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in which the air passages in the lungs — the bronchi — are repeatedly inflamed, leading to scarring of the bronchi walls. As a result, excessive amounts of sticky mucus are produced and fill the bronchial tubes, which become thickened, impeding normal airflow through the lungs.” (Chronic Bronchitis 2015) There are many things that can be observed as clinical findings. R.S. will have a chronic cough that has lasted from 3 months to two years or more, and a lot of sputum. The sputum is due to
Although your doctor may diagnose it in accordance with the symptoms that you complain, usually they are made:
Merriam-Webster defines mononucleosis as: "an acute infectious disease associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and characterized by fever, swelling of lymph nodes, and lymphocytosis."1 It is more commonly called "mono," or "the kissing disease." When I was thirteen, I caught this dreaded disease, and it changed the ways I acted around my friends forever.
Most patients may begin with symptoms of a runny nose, cold or sinusitis that continue to persist longer than normal upper respiratory infections and fail to respond to therapeutic measures. Even though, not all patients experience all of the symptoms, the severity of the disease is different for each patient. Other symptoms can include: arthritic joint pain, blood in urine, cough (with or without presence of blood), fever, inflammation of the ear with hearing problems, inflammation of the eye with vision problems, lack of energy, loss of appetite, nasal membrane ulcerations and crusting, night sweats, numbness of limbs, pleuritis (inflammation of the lining of the lung), rash and/or skin sores, saddle-nose deformity, weakness, fatigue, and weight
The Epstein-Barr virus is a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis (also known as glandular fever). Epstein-Barr virus genes have been identified in tissue samples of approximately 20-50% of individuals with Hodgkin’s disease. However, it is yet to be established whether the Epstein-Barr virus can cause Hodgkin’s disease. The most of people who develop glandular fever will not develop Hodgkin’s disease.
Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness (such as unusual lethargy, uncontrolled coughing, irritability, persistent crying, difficult breathing, wheezing, or other unusual signs)- until medical evaluation allows inclusion;
There are many symptoms associated with infectious mononucleosis, but the symptoms all depend on the individual. The more common symptoms are fatigue, sore throat, swelling of the lymph nodes and malaise. There is usually a change in the white cells and serum of the blood, but it can only be detected by a special test, known as the Mono Spot or the heterophile test. It is possible that the results of the test remain negative until a few weeks have passed after seeing some symptoms. It is very rare that the test results remain negative through out the duration of the disease.
later brings up green and yellow mucus. The cough may persist to 4 to 6
Infectious Mononucleosis, or more commonly known as “Mono” for short, is a relatively common illness among young adults. The term "mononucleosis" is a reference to the increase in your body’s mononuclear white blood cells (or lymphocytes) in your bloodstream, which is due to the EBV infection. This illness can leave you feeling extremely tired, can spike a slight fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes. A persons tonsils can have a whitish coating. This is common in at least one-third of reported Mono cases. About 5% of patients develop a splotchy red rash on multiple parts of the body. This rash can have a similar appearance to a rash that is caused by Measles. Early in the course of disease, which is the first few days, a temporary swelling of both upper eyelids could also appear. Mono can also cause an inflammation of the liver and an enlargement of the spleen has been found in about 50% of patients. These symptoms can last for a range of four to eight weeks after the diagnosis. Rigorous activity and contact sports should also be avoided while having Mono and during the recovery phase after the illness is gone to prevent issues with a person’s liver and spleen. Mono is also well-known as the “kissing disease” because the virus can be spread through saliva. Patients can continue to have virus particles present in their saliva for as long as 18 months after the initial infection. Other ways to spread Mono include, but are not limited to, coughing, sneezing, and sometimes can even be spread through an infected persons’ tears. If you have mono, you can avoid giving the virus to others by not kissing anyone and by not sharing drinks, eating utensils, or toothbrushes.
A separate, but related problem is in the accuracy of the diagnosis in identifying a discrete pattern of pathology. I...
Infectious mononucleosis, commonly referred to as “mono”, is a disease that results from the Epstein-Barr virus or EBV. It is also known as glandular fever because it attacks the lymph glands in your throat. Many people have been exposed to mono at some point in their lives, but have built up resistance to the disease. People are diagnosed with mono through a type of blood test called a monospot test, and prescribed proper recovery methods. Mono affects people all around the world, but due to antibodies in humans’ immune system, is not a common disease.
Other symptoms are breathing frequent and superficial, the fever and then can often present a noise very particular in the chest area, which is heard through the stethoscope. The symptom picture is completed by shortness of breath, sobs, anemia and decreased body weight.
A proper classification method removes the guess work for diagnosis. It serves as a guide to reach a precise diagnosis. Diagnostic criterion helps the clinician to make an interim diagnosis and clarify it in further assessments.
As humans when we are faced with any psychological or emotional problems, our initial thought is to turn to a therapist, doctor or any other health practitioners. Our initial thought when we are faced with problems regarding our health is to turn to a health professional because for ages that’s how it has been. When it comes to our health, health professionals nowadays do more harm than help. Many might disagree, but often patients are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses they do not have. Misdiagnosis occurs when a therapist or other health practitioners decide that a patient is suffering from a condition that he or she may not be suffering with. When misdiagnosed, patients are given unnecessary treatment, which could potentially
The diagnose are carried out based on history which may include the duration of sickness, the characteristics of the sickness and the specific types of food that have been eaten. Some physical exam can also be performed to look for signs and symptoms of dehydrat...