Symptom
|
WikiDoc Resources for Symptom | |
|
Articles | |
|---|---|
|
Most recent articles on Symptom | |
|
Media | |
|
Evidence Based Medicine | |
|
Clinical Trials | |
|
Ongoing Trials on Symptom at Clinical Trials.gov Clinical Trials on Symptom at Google
| |
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt | |
|
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Symptom
| |
|
Books | |
|
News | |
|
Commentary | |
|
Definitions | |
|
Patient Resources / Community | |
|
Directions to Hospitals Treating Symptom Risk calculators and risk factors for Symptom
| |
|
Healthcare Provider Resources | |
|
Causes & Risk Factors for Symptom | |
|
Continuing Medical Education (CME) | |
|
International | |
|
| |
|
Business | |
|
Experimental / Informatics | |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
A symptom is a medical sign indicating the nature of the disease. It is usually subjective,[1] observed by the patient,[2] and not measured.[3]
Loose definition
A symptom may loosely be said to be a physical condition which indicates a particular illness or disorder.[4]
An example of a symptom in this sense of the word would be a rash. However this is also known as a sign as explained in below.
Possible causes of a symptom
Some symptoms, such as nausea, occur in a wide range of disease processes, whereas other symptoms are fairly specific for a narrow range of illnesses. For example, a sudden loss of sight in one eye has a significantly smaller number of possible causes.
Misleading symptoms
Some symptoms can be misleading to the patient or the medical practitioner caring for them. For example, inflammation of the gallbladder often gives rise to pain in the right shoulder, which may understandably lead the patient to attribute the pain to a non-abdominal cause such as muscle strain, rather than the real cause.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The terms chief complaint, presenting symptom, or presenting complaint is used to describe the initial concern which brings a patient to a doctor. The symptom that leads to a diagnosis is called a cardinal symptom.
Symptom vs sign
A symptom can more simply be defined as any feature which is noticed by the patient. A sign is noticed by the doctor or others. It is not necessarily the nature of the sign or symptom which defines it, but who observes it.
The same feature may be noticed by both doctor and patient, and so is at once both a sign and a symptom. A sign or a symptom may be one, the other, or both, depending on the observer(s).
Some features, such as pain, can only be symptoms. A doctor cannot feel a patient's pain. Others can only be signs, such as a blood cell count measured by a doctor or a laboratory.
Engineering definition
In engineering, symptom may be used to refer to an undesired effect occurring in a system. To eliminate the effect, a root cause analysis is performed which traces the symptom to its cause and again through the cause's cause and so on until the subsystem is identified that can be changed to eliminate the symptom.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.uwo.ca/pathol/glossary.html#S
- ↑ http://www.emedicine.com/asp/dictionary.asp?keyword=symptom
- ↑ Devroede G (1992). "Constipation--a sign of a disease to be treated surgically, or a symptom to be deciphered as nonverbal communication?". J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 15 (3): 189–91. PMID 1479160.
- ↑ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1995). Third edition.
External links
- Medical Symptoms Database
- Online Medical Symptom Checker
- MSO Online Medical Symptom Checker
- Find The Doctor Based On Your Symptom
- Dynamic Differential Diagnosis
Symptoms and signs: circulatory (R00–R03, 785) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular |
| ||||||
| Myeloid/blood |
| ||||||
Symptoms and signs: respiratory system (R04–R07, 786) | |
|---|---|
| Hemorrhage | * Epistaxis |
| Abnormalities of breathing | ; Respiratory sounds: |
| Other | * Asphyxia |
| Chest, general | * Chest pain |
Symptoms and signs: digestive system and abdomen (R10–R19, 787,789) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GI tract |
| ||||
| Accessory | Hepatosplenomegaly/Hepatomegaly Jaundice | ||||
| Abdominopelvic | Ascites | ||||
| Abdominal – general | |||||
Symptoms and signs: skin and subcutaneous tissue (R20-R23, 782) | |
|---|---|
| Disturbances of skin sensation | Hypoesthesia - Paresthesia - Hyperesthesia |
| Other | Rash - Cyanosis - Pallor - Flushing - Petechia - Desquamation - Induration - Diaphoresis |
Symptoms and signs: nervous and musculoskeletal systems (R25-R29, 781) | |
|---|---|
| Abnormal involuntary movements (see also movement disorders) | Tremor - Spasm - Fasciculation - Athetosis |
| Gait abnormality | Scissor gait - Antalgic gait - Cerebellar ataxia - Festinating gait - Pigeon gait - Propulsive gait - Steppage gait - Stomping gait - Spastic gait - Myopathic gait - Magnetic gait - Trendelenburg gait |
| Lack of coordination | Ataxia (Cerebellar ataxia, Sensory ataxia) - Dysmetria - Dysdiadochokinesia - Hypotonia |
| Other | Tetany - Meningism - Hyperreflexia - Opisthotonus - Abnormal posturing - Hemispatial neglect |
Symptoms and signs: urinary system (R30-R39, 788) | |
|---|---|
| General | Renal colic - Dysuria - Vesical tenesmus - Urinary incontinence - Urinary retention - Oliguria - Polyuria - Nocturia - Extravasation of urine - Extrarenal uremia |
Symptoms and signs: cognition, perception, emotional state and behaviour (R40-R46, 780-781) | |
|---|---|
| General | Anxiety - Somnolence - Coma - Amnesia (Anterograde amnesia, Retrograde amnesia) - Dizziness/Vertigo |
| Olfaction | Anosmia - Parosmia |
| Taste | Ageusia - Parageusia |
Symptoms and signs: Speech and voice (R47-R49, 784) | |
|---|---|
| Aphasia/Dysphasia | Expressive aphasia - Receptive aphasia - Conduction aphasia |
| Other speech disturbances | Dysarthria - Schizophasia |
| Symbolic dysfunctions | Dyslexia - Alexia - Agnosia (Prosopagnosia) - Apraxia - Acalculia - Agraphia |
| Voice disturbances | Dysphonia - Aphonia |
Symptoms and signs: general (R50-R69, 780-789) | |
|---|---|
| General | Fever (Hyperpyrexia) - Headache - Chronic pain - Malaise/Fatigue (Asthenia, Debility) - Fainting (Vasovagal syncope) - Febrile seizure - Shock (Cardiogenic shock) - Lymphadenopathy - Edema (Peripheral edema, Anasarca) - Hyperhidrosis (Sleep hyperhidrosis) - Delayed milestone - Failure to thrive - Short stature (Idiopathic) - food and fluid intake (Anorexia, Polydipsia, Polyphagia) - Cachexia - Xerostomia - Clubbing - Tenderness |
Symptoms and signs: Symptoms concerning nutrition, metabolism and development (R62–R64, 783) | |
|---|---|
| Ingestion/Weight | |
| Growth | Delayed milestone • Failure to thrive • Short stature (e.g., Idiopathic) |
ast:Síntoma bg:Симптом cs:Symptom da:Symptom de:Symptom et:Sümptomeo:Simptomo eu:Sintoma fa:نشانههای بیماریio:Simptomo he:תסמין lt:Simptomas nl:Symptoomno:Symptom nn:Symptomsimple:Symptom sr:Симптом sh:Simptom fi:Oire sv:Symptomuk:Симптом yi:סימפטאם
Table of Contents In Alphabetical Order | By Individual Diseases | Signs and Symptoms | Physical Examination | Lab Tests | Drugs
Editor Tools Become an Editor | Editors Help Menu | Create a Page | Edit a Page | Upload a Picture or File | Printable version | Permanent link | Maintain Pages | What Pages Link HereThere is no pharmaceutical or device industry support for this site and we need your viewer supported Donations | Editorial Board | Governance | Licensing | Disclaimers | Avoid Plagiarism | Policies
