Difference Between Diagnosis and Prognosis

Diagnosis vs. Prognosis: What’s the Difference in Healthcare?

Medical jargon sometimes becomes overwhelming and creates confusion among non-medical people. Often, people use such a few words interchangeably without knowing their meaning. 'Diagnosis' and 'prognosis' are two such terms commonly used in healthcare discussions. Let us understand the key differences between diagnosis and prognosis and their influencing factors.

Understanding Diagnosis and Prognosis

Diagnosis is a medical procedure that detects a disease through various tests. Accurate and timely diagnosis can be key to a person's positive health outcome. Analysing patients' medical histories and conducting physical and laboratory tests are crucial for diagnosis.

Contrarily, prognosis is a likely outcome or informed prediction of a condition. This process entails information on how severe the disease is, how long it can impact your health, if there is any chance of getting cured, and others. Understanding the prognosis of a disease helps you know how to respond to circumstances that are not in your control.

Key Differences Between Diagnosis and Prognosis

Diagnosis identifies current health issues, and a prognosis is an informed prediction about the likely impact of a disease on your health. This table shows key differences between diagnosis and prognosis based on numerous parameters:

Factors Influencing Diagnosis

Some crucial factors influence the diagnosis process of some diseases. Below are some of those factors:

Cultural Factors

People from different cultural backgrounds might respond to symptoms differently. The expression of anxiety and depression varies across different cultures.

Gender and Age

Gender and age can also influence the diagnosis process because disorders like ADHD seem different in adults and adolescents. In addition, anorexia nervosa is more common in females than in males.

Biological Factors

Physical health conditions like chronic illnesses can affect your mental health.

Psychological Factors

Psychological problems like trauma increase the risk of mental health problems.

Factors Influencing Prognosis

The following factors influence the prognosis of certain diseases:

Survival Rates and Outdated Information

The prognosis of your disease depends on the survival rates based on your doctor’s evaluation of current evidence-based data  on people who have dealt with the same disease.

Difference Between Cure and Remission

Cure means it can completely end the disease, and it will never return. Remission reduces the symptoms of a disease, which is a partial procedure.

Age

Age is a crucial factor influencing the prognosis of a disease. For example, early detection of a disease may result in better treatment options.

Diagnosis identifies the cause of a disease through different physical tests and examinations. On the other hand, a prognosis is a procedure to estimate the future impact of a disease on your health based on certain factors. If you are facing symptoms of a particular disease, contact a healthcare professional to learn more about the diagnosis and prognosis process for your disease.