Differential diagnosis
see Diagnosis
A differential diagnosis is the distinguishing of a particular disease or condition from others that present similar clinical features.
Differential diagnostic procedures are used by physicians and other trained medical professionals to diagnose the specific disease in a patient, or, at least, to eliminate any imminently life-threatening conditions. Often, each individual option of a possible disease is called a differential diagnosis (for example, acute bronchitis could be a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of a cough that ends up with a final diagnosis of common cold).
see Treatment