Symptoms
Start from what a person feels: the anatomy involved, common and less common causes, and when to seek urgent care.
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A
B
Back pain
Pain in the spine or the muscles beside it, most often the lower back. Nine in ten episodes are 'non-specific': a strain of the muscles, ligaments and small…
Breast lump
A new lump, or an area of thickening that feels different from the rest of the breast, anywhere in the breast tissue, which extends from about the second to…
C
Chest pain
Pain or pressure anywhere between the neck and the upper abdomen. The chest holds the heart, lungs, oesophagus, great vessels, ribs and muscles, and pain from…
Cough
A reflex blast of air that clears the airways of mucus, irritants and foreign material. An acute cough (under three weeks) almost always follows a viral…
D
F
Fatigue
Persistent tiredness that rest does not fix. It is one of the commonest reasons to see a doctor and usually reflects sleep, mood, workload or lifestyle rather…
Fever
A body temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or more, produced when the hypothalamus raises its set point in response to inflammatory signals, most often from…
H
Headache
Pain felt anywhere in the head. Almost everyone has headaches; the great majority are primary headaches (tension-type or migraine) rather than a sign of…
Heavy periods
Menstrual bleeding that is heavier or lasts longer than usual and gets in the way of daily life. A measured loss of more than about 80 mL a cycle is the…
J
K
N
Nausea
The unpleasant sensation of being about to vomit. It is coordinated by centres in the medulla that respond to signals from the gut, the inner ear, the blood…
Numbness
Reduced or absent feeling in part of the body. Its distribution maps the fault: a glove or stocking pattern points to a general nerve disorder (neuropathy), a…
P
R
S
Shortness of breath
The sensation of not getting enough air. It arises when breathing demands more effort than expected, when the blood carries too little oxygen or too much…
Swelling (oedema)
Excess fluid in the tissues. Swelling of both ankles that pits when pressed usually means fluid retention from the heart, kidneys, liver or medications;…