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.