GC:
S: WHO – http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs330/en/ (last access: 29 April 2016); http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/ (last access: 29 April 2016).
N: 1. 1540s, re-Latinized from sinthoma (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin sinthoma “symptom of a disease,” altered from Late Latin symptoma, from Greek symptoma “a happening, accident, disease,” from stem of sympiptein “to befall, happen; coincide, fall together,” from assimilated form of syn- “together” + piptein “to fall,” from PIE *pi-pt-, reduplicated form of root *pet- “to rush; to fly”.
Spelling restored in early Modern English in part by influence of Middle French symptome (16c.). General (non-medical) use is from 1610s.
2. In medicine, a symptom is generally subjective while a sign is objective.
Any objective evidence of a disease, such as blood in the stool, a skin rash, is a sign can be recognized by the doctor, nurse, family members and the patient.
However, stomachache, lower-back pain, fatigue, for example, can only be detected or sensed by the patient – others only know about it if the patient tells them.
There are varying approaches to defining the medical meanings of signs and symptoms. This article aims to reflect them, rather than judging which the right one is.
The majority of lay people tend to just use the word symptom, and will understand the term “sign” if used by a doctor as having the same meaning as symptom. In this article we will look at what signs and symptoms mean and the history of their terminology.
3. Collocations:
- Adj. + symptom: characteristic, classic, common, typical; minor, secondary; chronic; acute; intermittent, recurrent; dangerous, distressing, potentially fatal, serious, severe, unpleasant; mild; visual, visible; behavioural, mental, neurotic, physical, physiological, psychiatric, psychological, psychosomatic, schizophrenic; abdominal, respiratory, urinary; allergic, asthmatic, flu, flu-like, menopausal, stress, withdrawal
- Verb + symptom: display, exhibit, experience, have, present with (medical), report, show, suffer (from); develop, get; bring about, cause, produce; aggravate, exacerbate; ignore; detect, diagnose, identify, interpret, recognize; control, reduce, relieve, suppress, treat.
- Symptom + verb: appear, arise, develop, occur; persist, recur; worsen; disappear.
- Phrases: the onset of symptoms 40 per cent of patients were treated within three hours of the onset of symptoms. | symptom free after two symptom free years.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=symptom (last access: 29 April 2016). 2. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161858.php (last access: 29 April 2016). 3. (last access: 29 April 2016). 4. (last access: 29 April 2016). 4. OD – http://oxforddictionary.so8848.com/search?word=symptom (last access: 29 April 2016).
SYN:
S:
CR: coma, nausea, sign, symptomatology, syndrome.
