syndrome
a group of symptoms that occur together
In more detail
a set of symptoms or signs that occur together and indicate a particular disease or condition
Examples
- Down syndrome is a genetic condition that affects development.
- She was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome after experiencing chronic digestive problems.
How to use syndrome
Syndrome is a medical or clinical term referring to a cluster of symptoms that together characterize a disease or medical condition. It is used in both professional medical contexts and general health discussions when the specific underlying cause may be unknown or multiple related symptoms occur together. Unlike disease, syndrome emphasizes the pattern of symptoms rather than a single identified pathology.
Common phrases
- suffer from a syndrome
- develop a syndrome
- diagnosed with a syndrome
- symptoms of the syndrome
- acute syndrome
- chronic syndrome
Synonyms
condition · disorder · complaint · affliction · pathology
Word family
syndromic (adjective) · syndromical (adjective, rare)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use syndrome interchangeably with disease or illness without recognizing that syndrome specifically refers to a set of coexisting symptoms, not necessarily a single disease entity.
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