Dictionary

Signs and symptoms

What a client reports and what a nurse observes, named the way charts and handoffs name them.

abdominal painPain felt anywhere in the belly, between the chest and the groin.

acute painPain that starts suddenly from an injury, surgery or illness and is expected to ease as the body heals.

afebrileWithout fever; having a normal body temperature.

agitationA state of restlessness and tension with too much movement, often with irritability.

alert and orientedAwake and aware, and able to say correctly who they are, where they are and when it is.

allergyA reaction of the immune system to a substance that is harmless to most people.

Allis signWith an infant lying on the back, hips and knees bent and feet flat, one knee sits lower than the other.

alopeciaLoss of hair from the head or body.

amenorrheaThe absence of menstrual periods.

anaphylaxisA sudden, severe allergic reaction that affects the whole body.

anginaChest pain or pressure that happens when the heart muscle does not get enough blood and oxygen.

anorexiaA loss of appetite or of the wish to eat; also short for anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder.

anuriaMaking little or no urine: less than about 50 to 100 mL in 24 hours in an adult.

anxietyA feeling of worry, fear or unease about something that may happen, often with physical signs such as a racing heart.

aphagiaInability to swallow.

aphasiaLoss or impairment of the ability to understand or use language, from damage to the brain.

apneaA pause in breathing, or breathing that has stopped.

apraxiaInability to carry out a learned, purposeful movement even though the person has the strength, feeling and wish to do it.

Argyll Robertson pupilA small, often irregular pupil that narrows when the eyes focus on something near but does not narrow when light shines in it.

arrhythmiaA heart rhythm that is not normal: too fast, too slow or irregular.

ascitesA buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity, the space around the organs of the belly.

asterixisA flapping movement of the hands when the arms are held out with the wrists bent back.

asymptomaticHaving no symptoms: the person feels and seems well.

ataxiaLoss of control and coordination of body movements, so that movements are clumsy and unsteady.

Babinski signAn upward movement of the big toe, with the other toes fanning out, when the sole of the foot is stroked.

back painPain felt anywhere along the back, most often in the lower back.

barrel chestA rounded chest shape in which the front-to-back depth is about as large as the side-to-side width.

Battle signBruising over the bone just behind the ear.

Beck triadThree findings together: low blood pressure, distended neck veins and muffled heart sounds.

Biot respirationsA breathing pattern of groups of quick, shallow breaths of similar depth, separated by irregular pauses with no breathing.

bipolar disorderA mental health condition with periods of very high mood and energy (mania) and, often, periods of depression.

bleedingBlood escaping from a blood vessel, either out of the body or inside it.

blisterA raised bubble of skin filled with clear fluid.

bloatingA feeling of fullness, tightness or swelling in the abdomen.

Blumberg signAbdominal pain that is worse when pressure is suddenly released than when it is applied.

bowel soundA gurgling or clicking sound made by gas and fluid moving through the intestines, heard with a stethoscope.

bradycardiaA heart rate slower than normal; in an adult, fewer than 60 beats per minute.

bradypneaBreathing that is slower than normal for the person's age.

bronchospasmA sudden tightening of the muscles around the airways that narrows them.

bruiseA discolored area of skin where blood has leaked from small broken vessels into the tissue underneath.

bruitA whooshing or blowing sound heard with a stethoscope over a blood vessel.

Brushfield spotsSmall white, gray or light-brown spots arranged in a ring near the outer edge of the iris.

buffalo humpA fatty lump on the upper back at the base of the neck, between the shoulders.

bull's-eye rashA round red rash with a lighter center and a red outer ring, so it looks like a target.

butterfly rashA red rash across both cheeks and the bridge of the nose, shaped like a butterfly.

Charcot triadThree findings together: fever with chills, pain in the upper right abdomen, and jaundice.

chest painPain or discomfort felt anywhere in the chest.

Cheyne-Stokes respirationsA breathing pattern in which breaths grow deeper and then shallower in a repeating cycle, with pauses in breathing between cycles.

chronic painPain that lasts longer than about 3 months or past the time tissues normally take to heal.

Chvostek signA twitch of the muscles of the face when the facial nerve, just in front of the ear, is tapped.