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Article: Will the Real Myocardial Infarction Please Stand Up?
- Article from:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Association for Clinical Chemistry May 2006. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Defining a disease is a process whereby physicians and clinical scientists are able to place a label on a specific pathologic entity. If this label is used carefully, it will characterize that disease process to facilitate future interactions between the patient and the healthcare system. Labeling a patient with a specific diagnosis has important implications for that person with respect to his or her relationship to the rest of society. For example, when a patient is labeled as having suffered a myocardial infarction, that individual's ability to hold or perform certain jobs (e.g., airline pilot) is altered. He or she may also become eligible to participate in a variety of clinical ...