Abstract: Nanomaterials have the characteristics of small size and high specific surface area. These characteristics make it unique from other traditional materials in the properties of light, sound, electricity, heat, and magnetism. With the continuous development of nanomaterials and the needs of clinical medicine, more and more functionalized nanomaterials and related devices have been widely used in medical detection with the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity, accuracy, and speed. The rapid development of nanomaterials can provide new methods for clinical diagnosis and provide more scientific basis for disease prevention and treatment. Nanomaterials have great development potential and broad application prospects in the diagnosis of a variety of diseases. In this article, the progress in the medical detection and diagnosis of infection, tumor, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cardiovascular diseases was reviewed; future perspectives were discussed as well.