Medical symptoms and signs (health, illness, disease)

A symptom is an indication of a disease or a change

in condition that is reported by someone but is not

observed by others. Examples of common symptoms

include an itching sensation, pain (e.g., headache),

depression, and tiredness. Unlike a symptom, a sign

can be observed by others (e.g., a rash) and is often

clear evidence of an abnormal physical condition.

FEATURED BOOK: Professional Guide to Signs

and Symptoms

Some symptoms can be confirmed upon examination by a healthcare provider. For

example, a doctor can confirm a patient's complaint of sensory loss in the hand painfully

stimulating the hand and observing the response. Some signs (e.g., scratching) can

indicate a certain symptom (e.g., itching sensation). A primary symptom is one that is an

essential part of a disease, such as itching during chicken pox infection. A secondary

symptom is one that is a result of the disease, but not an essential part of the disease,

such as feeling depressed because of having chicken pox.

The symptoms that cause a person to seek medical help are known as presenting

symptoms. However, presenting symptoms are not always the first to appear. All

healthcare providers should be aware that symptoms can be exaggerated on minimized

depending on the context of the evaluation. Syndromes are a group of symptoms and

signs that occur together and have a common cause, representing a certain disease or

inherited abnormality. Symptom comes from the Greek word "symptoma" meaning "that

which happens."