Symptoms

Examples of Symptoms in the following topics:

• Somatic Symptom Disorders

  • Somatic symptom disorders involve physical symptoms but lack physical evidence of illness or injury.
  • Symptoms of somatic symptom disorders are sometimes similar to those of other illnesses and may last for years.
  • Symptoms may occur across cultures and gender.
  • Somatic symptom disorders are not the result of conscious malingering (fabricating or exaggerating symptoms for secondary motives) or factitious disorders (deliberately producing, feigning, or exaggerating symptoms)–sufferers perceive their plight as real.
  • Somatic symptom disorder is a controversial diagnosis.

• Signs and Symptoms of Shock

  • Some people presenting only minimal symptoms, such as confusion and weakness.
  • Specific subtypes of shock may have additional symptoms.
  • The symptoms of cardiogenic shock are similar to those of hypovolemic shock.
  • These symptoms are caused by neural damage and resultant loss of muscle control.
  • Differentiate among the types of shock and the signs and symptoms associated with each

• Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

  • In particular, emotional symptoms must be present consistently to diagnose PMS .
  • More than 200 different symptoms have been associated with PMS, but the three most prominent symptoms are irritability, tension, and dysphoria (unhappiness).
  • PMDD consists of symptoms similar to, but more severe than, PMS, and while primarily mood-related, may include physical symptoms such as bloating.
  • Emotional symptoms are generally present, and in PMDD, mood symptoms are dominant.
  • The main symptoms, which can be disabling, include:

• Infectious Mononucleosis

  • Mononucleosis is an infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and results in flu-like symptoms.
  • Occasionally, the symptoms can recur at a later period.
  • Most people are exposed to the virus as children, when the disease produces no noticeable or only flu-like symptoms.
  • Symptoms usually persist for two to three weeks, but fatigue is often more prolonged.
  • Once the acute symptoms of an initial infection disappear, they often do not return.

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

  • Biological, genetic, infectious and psychological mechanisms have been proposed for the development and persistence of symptoms but the etiology of CFS is not understood and may have multiple causes.
  • Symptoms of CFS include post-exertional malaise; unrefreshing sleep; widespread muscle and joint pain; sore throat; headaches of a type not previously experienced; cognitive difficulties; chronic, often severe, mental and physical exhaustion; and other characteristic symptoms in a previously healthy and active person .
  • Persons with CFS may report additional symptoms such as muscle weakness, increased sensitivity to light, sounds and smells, orthostatic intolerance, digestive disturbances, depression, and cardiac and respiratory problems.
  • It is unclear if these symptoms represent co-morbid conditions or are produced by an underlying etiology of CFS.
  • CFS symptoms vary from person to person in number, type, and severity.

• Fibromyalgia

  • Though fibromyalgia is classically related to pain, other symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbances, joint stiffness, bowel and bladder issues, and cognitive dysfunction .
  • In most cases, patients with fibromyalgia symptoms may also have laboratory test results that appear normal and many of their symptoms may mimic those of other rheumatic conditions such as arthritis or osteoporosis.
  • In general, most doctors diagnose patients with a process called differential diagnosis, which means that doctors consider all of the possible things that might be wrong with the patient based on the patient's symptoms, gender, age, geographic location, medical history, and other factors.
  • It is unclear whether the brain anomalies cause fibromyalgia symptoms or are the product of an unknown underlying common cause.
  • As with many other medically unexplained syndromes, there is no universally accepted treatment or cure for fibromyalgia, and treatment typically consists of symptom management.

• Acute Radiation Damage

  • The onset and type of symptoms depends on the radiation exposure.
  • Relatively smaller doses result in gastrointestinal effects, such as nausea and vomiting, and symptoms related to falling blood counts, such as infection and bleeding.
  • Similar symptoms may appear months to years after exposure as chronic radiation syndrome when the dose rate is too low to cause the acute form.
  • The speed of onset of symptoms is related to radiation exposure, with greater doses resulting in a shorter delay in symptom onset.
  • Recall the cause, symptoms of, and treatment for acute radiation poisoning

• Brain Tumors

  • Visibility of signs and symptoms of brain tumors mainly depends on two factors: tumor size (volume) and tumor location.
  • The moment that symptoms become apparent, either to the person or people around him (symptom onset) is an important milestone in the course of the diagnosis and treatment of the tumor.
  • The symptom onset—in the timeline of the development of the neoplasm—depends in many cases on the nature of the tumor but in many cases is also related to the change of the neoplasm from "benign" (i.e. slow-growing/late symptom onset) to more malignant (fast growing/early symptom onset).
  • Symptoms of solid neoplasms of the brain (primary brain tumors and secondary tumors alike) can be divided into three main categories:
  • Dysfunction: depending on the tumor location and the damage it may have caused to surrounding brain structures, either through compression or infiltration, any type of focal neurologic symptoms may occur, such as cognitive and behavioral impairment, personality changes, ataxia, visual field impairment, impaired sense of smell, impaired hearing, double vision, dizziness; more severe symptoms might occur, such as including partial paralysis or impairment to swallow.

• Rabies

  • In humans, rabies is almost invariably fatal if postexposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms.
  • Once there, symptoms begin to show and the infection is virtually untreatable.
  • Late stage symptoms extend to paranoia, terror, mania, and hallucinations progressing into delirium .
  • Once symptoms have presented, survival is rare.
  • Examine the causes and symptoms associated with infection by the rabies virus

• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

  • Symptoms of a kidney infection include fever and flank pain usually in addition to the symptoms of a lower UTI.
  • In the very old and the very young, symptoms may be vague or non-specific.
  • Diagnosis in young healthy women can be based on symptoms alone.
  • If symptoms do not improved in two or three days, further diagnostic testing may be needed.
  • Phenazopyridine may help with symptoms.