Differential diagnosis is the process of considering and distinguishing between multiple possible conditions that could explain a person’s symptoms, signs, or test findings.
When several conditions can produce similar symptoms, a healthcare professional considers the most plausible possibilities and gathers additional information to distinguish among them. This may involve history-taking, physical examination, laboratory tests, imaging, or specialist assessment.
A differential diagnosis is therefore not necessarily a list of confirmed diseases. It represents possibilities being considered while the diagnostic process is still underway.
QUICK FACT
A differential diagnosis can include conditions that are common, serious, or easily missed, even when some are less likely than others.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Diagnosis: A diagnosis identifies the condition that best explains the available evidence; a differential diagnosis describes the competing possibilities being considered.
SEE ALSO
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic test
- Clinical assessment
- Misdiagnosis