Asymptomatic
Asymptomatic(orclinically silent) is an adjective categorising the medical conditions (i.e.,injuriesordiseases) that patients carry but without experiencing theirsymptoms,despite an explicit diagnosis (e.g., a positive medical test).
Pre-symptomaticis the adjective categorising the time periods during which the medical conditions are asymptomatic.
Subclinicalandpaucisymptomaticare other adjectives categorising either the asymptomatic infections (i.e.,subclinical infections), or thepsychosomatic illnessesandmental disordersexpressing a subset of symptoms but not the entire set an explicit medical diagnosis requires.
Examples
[edit]An example of an asymptomatic disease iscytomegalovirus(CMV) which is a member of the herpes virus family. "It is estimated that 1% of all newborns are infected with CMV, but the majority of infections are asymptomatic." (Knox, 1983; Kumar et al. 1984)[1]In some diseases, the proportion of asymptomatic cases can be important. For example, inmultiple sclerosisit is estimated that around 25% of the cases are asymptomatic, with these cases detected postmortem or just by coincidence (asincidental findings) while treating other diseases.[2]
Importance
[edit]Knowing that a condition is asymptomatic is important because:
- It may be contagious, and the contribution of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections to the transmission level of a disease helps set the required control measures to keep it from spreading.[3]
- It is not required that a person undergo treatment. It does not cause later medical problems such ashigh blood pressureandhyperlipidaemia.[4]
- Be alert to possible problems: asymptomatichypothyroidismmakes a person vulnerable toWernicke–Korsakoff syndromeorberi-berifollowingintravenousglucose.[5]
- For some conditions, treatment during the asymptomatic phase is vital. If one waits until symptoms develop, it is too late for survival or to prevent damage.
Mental health
[edit]Subclinical or subthreshold conditions are those for which the full diagnostic criteria are not met and have not been met in the past, although symptoms are present. This can mean that symptoms are not severe enough to merit a diagnosis,[6]or that symptoms are severe but do not meet the criteria of a condition.[7]
List
[edit]These are conditions for which there is a sufficient number of documented individuals that are asymptomatic that it is clinically noted. For a complete list of asymptomatic infections seesubclinical infection.
- Balanitis xerotica obliterans
- Benign lymphoepithelial lesion
- Cardiac shunt
- Carotid artery dissection
- Carotid bruit
- Cavernous hemangioma
- Chloromas(Myeloid sarcoma)
- Cholera
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia
- Coeliac disease
- Coronary artery disease
- Coronavirus disease 2019
- Cowpox
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Essential fructosuria
- Flu orInfluenzastrains
- Folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma
- Glioblastoma multiforme(occasionally)
- Glucocorticoid remediable aldosteronism
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
- Hepatitis
- Hereditary elliptocytosis
- Herpes
- Heterophoria
- Human coronaviruses(common cold germs)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Histidinemia
- HIV(AIDS)
- HPV
- Hyperaldosteronism
- hyperlipidaemia
- Hyperprolinemiatype I
- Hypothyroidism
- Hypoxia(some cases)
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- Iridodialysis(when small)
- Lesch–Nyhan syndrome(female carriers)
- Levo-Transposition of the great arteries
- Measles
- Meckel's diverticulum
- Microvenular hemangioma
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Monkeypox
- Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis
- Myelolipoma
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Optic disc pit
- Osteoporosis
- Pertussis(whooping cough)
- Pes cavus
- Poliomyelitis
- Polyorchidism
- Pre-eclampsia
- Prehypertension
- Protrusio acetabuli
- Pulmonary contusion
- Renal tubular acidosis
- Rubella
- Smallpox(extinct since the 1980s)
- Spermatocele
- Sphenoid wing meningioma
- Spider angioma
- Splenic infarction(though not typically)
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Tonsillolith
- Tuberculosis
- Type II diabetes
- Typhus
- Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia
- Varicella(chickenpox)
- Wilson's disease
Millions of women reported lack of symptoms duringpregnancyuntil the point ofchildbirthor the beginning of labor; they didn't know they were pregnant. This phenomenon is known ascryptic pregnancies.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Vinson, B. (2012). Language Disorders Across the Lifespan. p. 94. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar
- ^Engell T (May 1989)."A clinical patho-anatomical study of clinically silent multiple sclerosis".Acta Neurol Scand.79(5): 428–30.doi:10.1111/j.1600-0404.1989.tb03811.x.PMID2741673.S2CID21581253.
- ^Buitrago-Garcia, Diana; Egli-Gany, Dianne; Counotte, Michel J.; Hossmann, Stefanie; Imeri, Hira; Ipekci, Aziz Mert; Salanti, Georgia; Low, Nicola (2020-09-22)."Occurrence and transmission potential of asymptomatic and presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections: A living systematic review and meta-analysis".PLOS Medicine.17(9): e1003346.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003346.ISSN1549-1676.PMC7508369.PMID32960881.
- ^Tattersall, R (2001)."Diseases the doctor (or autoanalyser) says you have got".Clinical Medicine.1(3). London: 230–3.doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.1-3-230.PMC4951914.PMID11446622.
- ^Watson, A. J.; Walker, J. F.; Tomkin, G. H.; Finn, M. M.; Keogh, J. A. (1981). "Acute Wernickes encephalopathy precipitated by glucose loading".Irish Journal of Medical Science.150(10): 301–303.doi:10.1007/BF02938260.PMID7319764.S2CID23063090.
- ^Ji, Jianlin (October 2012)."Distinguishing subclinical (subthreshold) depression from the residual symptoms of major depression".Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry.24(5): 288–289.doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-0829.2012.05.007.ISSN1002-0829.PMC4198879.PMID25328354.
- ^Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5.American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 Task Force (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. 2013.ISBN978-0-89042-554-1.OCLC830807378.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link) - ^"What is a Cryptic Pregnancy?".10 September 2019.
