Arriving at a diagnosis is a complicated process that involves many factors. It generally starts with a medical practitioner taking a detailed history of current symptoms, past illnesses and surgeries, exercise habits, smoking, drug and alcohol...
Diabetes, or high blood sugar, was the seventh highest cause of death in the United States in 2006 and affects 23 percent of people over age 60, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports. Early diagnosis of diabetes is essential for treating...
The diagnosis of celiac disease can sometimes be difficult. Celiac is also known as "the great imitator" because many of its symptoms can resemble those of numerous other health conditions. Some people will experience skin rashes, others may have...
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feeling sad or down, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, changes in sleep, low energy, changes in weight or appetite, feelings of guilt, concentration difficulties, indecisiveness, and...
If your doctor suspects that you have a medical problem involving the urinary tract, bladder or kidneys, she may recommend that you undergo a urinary diagnostic test. The Harvard Medical School and the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, results from a 2008 national health survey show that 3.7 million American adults have renal disease. This figure does not include people who are in the hospital receiving treatment for...
Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis typically requires careful observation of symptoms by a physician to discern RA from other types of arthritis and autoimmune conditions, several diagnostic tests are available to supplement the clinical...
Diseases that affect the kidney can be difficult for a patient or doctor to diagnose without using a variety of diagnostic tests. Kidney function tests are defined by the Encyclopedia of Surgery as a variety of procedures that evaluate whether a...
Flu is short for influenza, a family of viruses that cause respiratory illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, explains that the flu can cause mild to severe illness and even lead to death. Diagnosing the flu helps...
People with Hirschsprung's disease have a lack of nerve cells in a part of the large intestine. These nerve cells are responsible for relaying a message from the brain to the muscles in the large intestine, signaling the colon to move food through...
Diagnostic tests performed on a sample of blood obtained from an artery can measure the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood as well as the pH or acidity, the bicarbonate and several other values by using a blood gas analyzer. These...
To correctly diagnose asthma, your physician will order a pulmonary function study, which may include a series of three or four tests to determine if you have asthma, as well as how severe it is. The process of diagnosing asthma also includes...
Doctors diagnose diseases by the primary cause, for example, one type of diarrhea results from dysentery, an infection of the intestines caused by a bacterium. Another type of diarrhea can be caused by Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of...
There are more than 80 diseases that affect the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are many tests and procedures that can assist physicians in diagnosing the correct condition. These tests can be grouped according to non-invasive...
Urine is the most common sample received by clinical laboratories, and is the specimen of choice to diagnose a variety of conditions, including urinary tract infections, bladder stones, kidney failure, prostatitis, and ovarian and prostate...
A number of tests can be performed when it is suspected that a person has Alzheimer's disease. A correct diagnosis can help guide therapy according to a person's needs. A full diagnosis usually starts with the patient's primary physician and is...
Common diagnostic tests used to diagnose problems within the musculoskeletal system use blood and urine samples. Both can reveal levels of various minerals and other substances indicating disease or a musculoskeletal disorder. Levels of certain...
Medical tests are a critical part of diagnosing and treating illness and disease. Many of these diagnostic procedures require patients to undergo blood tests. These tests help to efficiently and quickly diagnose disorders and diseases such as high...
The chronic skin condition psoriasis affects approximately 7.5 million people in the United States, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Although psoriasis generally causes only mild discomfort, severe cases can be disfiguring, and...
Seasonal allergies cause symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and itchy, watery eyes. These symptoms are typically caused by outdoor allergens that bloom during certain seasons. There are two main types of diagnostic testing...
Ringworm in children is fairly common between the ages of two and 10 years. According to the experts at Oregon Health and Science University, ringworm does not involve any actual worms. It is a fungal infection called "tinea" whose different...
Bad weather, inconsiderate drivers and excessive phlegm production -- three factors that may impact the enjoyment, and therefore frequency, of your running. However, the last factor is somewhat treatable. Phlegm, more commonly known as mucus, can...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease that affects around 1 to 2 percent of people overall, with the incidence rising to 5 percent in women over age 55, according to rheumatologist Alan Matsumoto, M.D., of Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center....
If you have a family history of Type 2 diabetes, or if you're concerned about the growing incidence of the disease, you may wonder how to keep your blood glucose from rising to unhealthy levels. If your fasting blood glucose level is 126 mg/dl or...
A Pap smear, the common term for a Papanicolaou test, is used to test for cancerous cells on the cervix. According to Harvard Medical School, women who are at least 21 years old should have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years. Additionally, women...
Fitness coach ratings allow you to compare different coaches by evaluating the quality of the experience that he brings to your training sessions. Educational and clinical institutions may use fitness coach ratings as part of a routine employee...
Fetal exposure to radiation can harm your pregnancy by causing pregnancy loss, birth defects, mental retardation, intrauterine growth retardation and increasing your baby's risk of cancer. The type and degree of harm to your baby depends on the...
Throat disease might include anything from a simple sore throat to GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease) to throat cancer. When throat symptoms occur in tandem with simple colds, the condition is rarely confusing and does not require a...
A blood clot is a solid mass of blood that develops in one of your veins, usually in the leg. The clot, called a thrombus, blocks the flow of blood to the area of the body in which it is located. Blood clots are not always stationary; they can...
Amnesia is a condition that affects the memory. There are many possible causes for amnesia, and amnesia may occur for different lengths of time. Learn about the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options for amnesia in this video.
The bile duct is a long tube-like structure that connects the liver to the intestine and transports bile. Learn about bile duct cancer including possible causes, and treatment options for bile duct cancer in this video.
Learn about the Danger Signs of Persistent Back Pain in this free chiropractic treatment series from our experienced chiropractor.
