Editing Signs and symptoms (section)

==Signs and symptoms==
===Signs===
A medical sign is an [[Objectivity (science)|objective]] observable indication of a disease, injury, or [[medical condition]] that may be detected during a [[physical examination]].<ref name="MW2">{{cite web |title=Definition of Sign |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sign |website=Merriam-Webster |date=20 June 2023 |language=en |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=20 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520142147/http://merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sign |url-status=live }}</ref> These signs may be visible, such as a [[rash]] or [[bruise]], or otherwise detectable such as by [[auscultation|using a stethoscope]] or taking [[blood pressure]]. Medical signs, along with [[symptom]]s, help in forming a [[Medical diagnosis|diagnosis]]. Some examples of signs are [[nail clubbing]] of either the fingernails or toenails<ref name="r465">{{cite journal | last1=Fawcett | first1=Robert S. | last2=Linford | first2=Sean | last3=Stulberg | first3=Daniel L. | title=Nail Abnormalities: Clues to Systemic Disease | journal=American Family Physician | volume=69 | issue=6 | date=2004-03-15 | pages=1417–1424 | url=https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2004/0315/p1417.html | access-date=2024-10-22}}</ref> or an [[abnormal gait]].<ref name="g049">{{cite journal | last1=Nonnekes | first1=Jorik | last2=Růžička | first2=Evžen | last3=Serranová | first3=Tereza | last4=Reich | first4=Stephen G. | last5=Bloem | first5=Bastiaan R. | last6=Hallett | first6=Mark | title=Functional gait disorders | journal=Neurology | publisher=Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) | volume=94 | issue=24 | date=2020-06-16 | issn=0028-3878 | doi=10.1212/wnl.0000000000009649 | doi-access=free | pages=1093–1099| hdl=2066/220783 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>

===Symptoms===
A symptom is something felt or experienced, such as pain or dizziness. Signs and symptoms are not mutually exclusive, for example a subjective feeling of fever can be noted as sign by using a thermometer that registers a high reading.<ref>Marie T. O'Toole, ed., ''Mosby's Medical Dictionary'', 9th ed. (St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Mosby, 2013), Kindle loc. 154641. {{ISBN|978-0323085410}}</ref> The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]] lists various diseases by their signs and symptoms such as for [[Measles#Signs and symptoms|measles]] which includes a high [[fever]], [[conjunctivitis]], and [[cough]], followed a few days later by the measles [[Maculopapular rash|rash]].<ref name="CDC1">{{cite web |title=Measles Signs and Symptoms |url=https://www.cdc.gov/measles/symptoms/signs-symptoms.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |language=en-us |date=5 November 2020 |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111225954/https://www.cdc.gov/measles/symptoms/signs-symptoms.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Cardinal signs and symptoms===
Cardinal signs and symptoms are very specific even to the point of being [[pathognomonic]]. A cardinal sign or cardinal symptom can also refer to the major sign or symptom of a disease.<ref name="Basu">{{cite journal |last1=Basu |first1=S |last2=Sahi |first2=PK |title=Malaria: An Update. |journal=Indian Journal of Pediatrics |date=July 2017 |volume=84 |issue=7 |pages=521–528 |doi=10.1007/s12098-017-2332-2 |pmid=28357581|s2cid=11461451 }}</ref> Abnormal [[reflex]]es can indicate problems with the [[nervous system]]. Signs and symptoms are also applied to physiological states outside the context of disease, as for example when referring to the [[signs and symptoms of pregnancy]], or the symptoms of [[dehydration]]. Sometimes a disease may be present without showing any signs or symptoms when it is known as being [[asymptomatic]].<ref name="MW">{{cite web |title=Definition of Asymptomatic |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asymptomatic |website=Merriam-Webster |date=26 June 2023 |language=en |access-date=2 March 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128141843/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asymptomatic |url-status=live }}</ref> The disorder may be discovered through tests including scans. An [[infection]] may be asymptomatic but still be [[Transmission (medicine)|transmissible]].<ref name="MW"/>

===Syndrome===
{{main|Syndrome}}
Signs and symptoms are often non-specific, but some combinations can be suggestive of certain [[Medical diagnosis|diagnoses]], helping to narrow down what may be wrong. A particular set of characteristic signs and symptoms that may be associated with a disorder is known as a [[syndrome]].