One Symptom, Multiple Causes

Posted by Anthony Lee May 16, 2009

This week's blog entry is another opportunity for me to share a little medical wisdom with everyone. Recently, I've had people I know who came up to me with a personal medical question, each one concerned about having a particular disease or condition based on one symptom. I always welcome this sort of thing, even though I provide assistance for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for formal clinical evaluation by a practicing medical professional. Nevertheless, I'd like to share my latest thoughts.

Every symptom and sign has multiple explanations. For instance, abdominal pain can be explained by problems from any of the abdominal organs. The same idea applies to chest pain, jaundice, and whatever other symptom you can think of. I cannot think of an example where any abnormality is associated with one condition only.

It's perfectly normal for patients to want an explanation for a symptom. At the same time, it's easy to fall into the trap of assuming a particular diagnosis just because one doesn't like uncertainly. I mention this because such judgments might be erroneous and prevent proper care for the actual diagnosis, particularly when laypeople may not be aware of what the many other possibilities are. That's where a doctor comes in. Such professionals have knowledge of all the conditions that could cause a particular symptom and are in a position to sort out the different possibilities. This approach is more likely to correctly identify the problem.

Basically, this is why a doctor-patient relationship is important. By working together, patients can receive appropriate care from doctors they trust.