Before entering fully into the meaning of the non-specific term that concerns us now, we are going to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it derives from Latin and that it is the result of the sum of two components of said language:
-The prefix “in-”, which is synonymous with “no” or “without”.
-The adjective “specificus”. This is the fruit of the union of two parts: the noun “species”, which can be translated as “species” or “class”, and the verb “facere”, which is synonymous with “make”.
When something is not specific , it is classified as nonspecific . The idea of specific, in turn, refers to the exact, the defined or the concrete.
This means that the nonspecific is imprecise , indeterminate or abstract . For example: “The time needed to learn to speak a language fluently is non-specific, since it depends on each person” , “The journalist attributed to the deputy a non-specific link with the drug trafficker: now the investigation must provide more data” , “ “I am concerned about the stomach pain of non-specific origin that the patient suffers.”
Imprecise, indefinite, imperfect, inconcrete or irregular are some of the words that can serve as synonyms for nonspecific. On the contrary, its antonyms include precise, specific, concrete, perfect, regular or definite.
Nonspecific is an adjective that usually appears in the field of medicine .
Nonspecific chronic pain , meanwhile, is one whose physical origin cannot be determined. Because pain is a subjective perception, it is influenced by multiple factors ranging from the physiological state to the emotional situation, including cognitive evaluation and the sociocultural environment.
Thus, for example, we can establish that abdominal pain is a non-specific symptom of different diseases. Specifically, it may indicate that the person suffers from appendicitis, gastritis, a ruptured spleen, biliary colic, a kidney stone, pneumonia, food hypersensitivity and even pericarditis, for example. Hence, the health professional who cares for a patient with abdominal pain must look at other symptoms they have and perform different tests to really know what is happening.
Nonspecific immunomodulators , on the other hand, are substances that help fight infections and diseases through an action on the immune system in general. These elements are responsible for suppressing or stimulating the immune response, without causing the activity of the cells on which they act to be oriented towards a particular antigen.
Finally, chronic nonspecific diarrhea is common in children between 6 months and 5 years. It is a benign digestive condition that is usually linked to a family history of colon or irritable bowel syndrome .
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot forget that there is what is known as nonspecific. This, also called innate immunity, is a defense system that human beings have from birth and that is responsible for protecting them, for example, against antigens.