Symptomatology: Symptoms and Signs

• Symptomatology refers to the study of symptoms.

Symptomatology Terms

• Symptom: Any deviation from health perceived or felt only by the patient.
• Sign: A physical manifestation of a symptom detectable by others.
• Syndrome: A set of symptoms and signs associated with and characteristic of a particular disease.

Onset

• Acute: Less than 4 weeks.
• Subacute: 4 weeks to 12 weeks.
• Chronic: More than 12 weeks.

Course

• Relapse: Return of original symptoms and signs.
• Exacerbations: Sudden worsening in the severity of symptoms.
• Remission: Temporary improvement in symptoms without curing the underlying disease.
• Sequela: An abnormal condition or complication remaining after the original disease has resolved.

General Symptoms

• Includes fever, shortness of breath, cough, diarrhea, headache, rheum, hemoptysis, aching muscles, vomiting, and fatigue.

Fatigue

• Is excessive tiredness on exertion, occurring in organic and functional ill health.

Cardiovascular Symptoms

• Includes dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain/discomfort, and fainting.

Chest Pain

• A common subjective symptom causing alarm.
• Angina Pectoris: Recurring chest pain or discomfort when the heart does not get enough blood and oxygen.

Palpitation

• Is an awareness of one's heartbeat due to changes in rate, rhythm, or contractility.
• Physiological causes: Exercise, sexual or emotional outburst, and anxiety.
• Pathological causes: Endocrine, cardiac, metabolic issues, and drugs/toxins.

Dyspnea

• Refers to the difficulty or awareness of breathing.
• Meaning: dys - hard, pnoea - breathing

Syncope

• A faint involving a transient loss of consciousness.
• Syncope is caused by decreased blood flow to the brain.
• Coma: A state of unresponsiveness where a person cannot be woken.

Respiratory Symptoms

• Includes cough and hemoptysis.

Cough

• A physiological protective mechanism characterized by explosive expectoration against a closed glottis after deep inspiration.

Hemoptysis

• Coughing of blood
• Types: Haemorrhage from lungs, bronchial tree, trachea, nose, pharynx & larynx.
• Blood from the lungs/bronchial tree/trachea is a result of vascular rupture.
• Blood from the nose/pharynx/larynx is a results from laceration or ulceration of the upper respiratory tract.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

• Pertains to any digestive or intestinal symptom.

Dysphagia

• Refers to difficulty and pain in swallowing.

Dyspepsia

• A combination of indigestion, pain, distention, acidity, nausea, and hunger pains.

Anorexia

• Refers to reduced appetite.

Vomiting

• The forceful expulsion of stomach content through the oesophagus and mouth.

Hematemesis

• Vomiting of blood

Diarrhea

• Includes Dysentery & Spurious Diarrhea
• Defined as > 200-300 gm /day or >3 times / day- liquid consistency.

Constipation

• The passage of hard stools with a reduced frequency of less than 3 times a week.

"Hematochezia"

• Rectal bleeding involving blood passing from the rectum or anus.

Melena

• Refers to dark black, tarry stool associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Genitourinary Symptoms

• Includes Hematuria, Dysuria and Enuresis.

Hematuria

• Is the presence of red blood cells (erythrocytes) in the urine.

Dysuria

• Refers to painful urination; difficult urination is also described, but rarely, as dysuria

Enuresis

• A repeated inability to control urination.

Anuria (anuresis)

• Is the non passage of urine
• Practice is defined as passage of less than 50ml of urine in a day and is caused by failure in kidney function.

Oliguria (hypouresis)

• Refers to the low output of urine.
• Clinically classified as output more than 80 ml/day but less than 400ml/day.
• The decreased output of urine may be a sign of dehydration, kidney failure, hypovolemic shock.