The symptomatology of a disease is the set of symptoms associated with it.
The group of symptoms that are associated with a disease is called symptomatology . In a broader sense, the term refers to a series of indications of something .
Symptom
A symptom is a manifestation that is indicative of a disease . It is important to define this concept before continuing with the development of the definition, since the other noun emerged from this noun.
The term comes from the late Latin symptōma , in turn derived from the Greek sýmptōma . A disease , meanwhile, is a health disturbance that may be more or less serious .
Anomalies
The factors that are seen as part of the symptoms can be objective or subjective, but they are always abnormal. It is a set of references that are linked to a pathological state, and that, therefore, can reveal some type of health alteration .
A doctor is the one who must analyze the symptoms that a person shows and/or comments to determine what problem they could be experiencing. According to the symptoms noticed, and sometimes according to complementary studies, the professional will indicate which disease the individual suffers from. Said diagnosis, in turn, is essential for determining the treatment to follow.
Possible confusion
Two or more diseases can share a large part of the symptoms, a fact that generates confusion if the appropriate tests are not performed. If a correct diagnosis is not made, the problems can begin to worsen and reach limits from which it is difficult to return: counterproductive medication, unnecessary restrictions in diet and a change in routine that negatively affects the patient until leaving indelible consequences are some of them. of the possible consequences.
At this point we must point out that self-diagnosis , as well as self-medication , two very common phenomena of our era, are especially dangerous. If we do not have enough knowledge to distinguish one condition from another, it is best that we go to a doctor 's office . It only takes a few searches on the Internet to notice that many diseases have symptoms in common, and in some cases the differences are almost impossible to notice, even for professionals.
Take the case of spinal muscular atrophy ( SMA ), a set of genetic diseases that affects the motor neurons, the lower ones, to the point of eliminating them. Although its symptoms are well defined (swallowing problems, difficulty standing, running or climbing stairs, weakness, breathing problems and tremors), there are some diseases that can cause confusion at the time of diagnosis , even though their genetic causes are not the same ones. For this reason, genetic analyzes are essential to know if a patient has SMA.
Spinal muscular atrophy with dyspnea is a clear example: it shares, for example, breathing difficulties, but it is important to note that the neurons it affects are the upper ones of the spinal cord. We can also mention hereditary distal motor neuropathy , which is very rare; Its symptoms resemble those of SMA in terms of weakness and motor difficulties due to weakening of the muscles in the extremities.
To avoid confusion, a doctor's diagnosis is recommended.
COVID-19
COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus . Because it is a new disease, the symptoms recognized by experts are updated based on various studies and research . Furthermore, as happens in other cases, not all patients who have contracted it are in similar conditions, since there are different degrees of severity.
The symptoms of COVID-19 may begin to appear within two days, but it may also take two weeks for them to become evident. Next, we will see the most common: fever, cough, feeling of shortness of breath, chills, extreme tiredness, muscle pain , decreased olfactory and gustatory abilities, headache, nasal congestion, throat irritation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.