Symptom

departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state, or of a disease; subjective, observed by the patient, cannot be measured directly

Symptoms are used in diagnosis. The term is used in medicine, and in other fields such as fault-finding in engineering.

In medicine, it refers to things the patient feels or notices. It contrasts with signs, which are changes which a doctor sees in a patient. What a patient feels is subjective, whereas what a doctor sees is objective.

In diagnosis, all symptoms and signs are brought together to make a hypothesis as to what is going wrong. This might suggest further investigation or treatment. A complete investigation ends with a diagnosis that summarizes all this.

Similar terms

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  • Symptomatic: having or showing symptoms.
  • Asymptomatic: not showing symptoms.