A recognizable pattern of signs, symptoms, or other clinical findings that occur together and characterize a particular health condition or group of conditions.
A syndrome describes a pattern of findings rather than necessarily identifying a single underlying cause. Some syndromes have a well-established cause, while others can result from multiple diseases, genetic changes, infections, or other factors.
The term is used when a particular combination of findings is clinically meaningful. For example, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) describes the characteristic state of severe immune dysfunction and associated illnesses that can result from advanced HIV infection.
QUICK FACT
A syndrome is not simply another word for “disease.” A disease generally refers to a specific pathological condition, while a syndrome refers primarily to a recognizable pattern of clinical findings, which may have one or several causes.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Disease: A disease is a specific pathological condition with characteristic causes or mechanisms, whereas a syndrome is defined by a characteristic collection of signs, symptoms, or findings.
SEE ALSO