When we talk about illness, we often talk about symptoms, complaints or signs. These are characteristics that we can place on a specific disease, condition or abnormality. However, this does not mean that a certain complaint is also part of a disease. For example, vomiting can be caused by pregnancy, but also by problems with balance. We distinguish between clinical and subclinical signs or symptoms. The clinical symptoms are immediately visible to a doctor without further examination. In the article, examples of these symptoms include COPD, pulmonary embolism and sepsis.
Clinical symptoms, what are they?
It is also called clinical symptoms. By both we mean the same thing. The term clinical refers to everything that has to do with a hospital or clinic. This is an institution where the sick person is examined and treated. Signs or symptoms are clinical pictures that belong to a specific condition, abnormality or disease.
Same as symptoms?
You would say that clinical signs or clinical symptoms are the same as symptoms. But this is where many people go wrong. Symptoms are all complaints or characteristics (symptoms) that occur with a certain disease. These may be complaints or characteristics that are visible or not visible. For example, the symptoms of colon cancer are growth of a tumor, loss of function, blood in the stool, weight loss, etc. But clinical symptoms only concern the immediately visible symptoms. In the case of colon cancer, these are weight loss and blood in the stool. The growth of the tumor is not visible from the outside.
The doctor sees it without further examination
When the patient comes to the doctor, he will first look at the clinical symptoms. Skin rash is a clinical phenomenon. The doctor looks and sees that there is a red spotty or flaky rash. But bumps or spot bleeding are also clinical and immediately visible symptoms. The doctor can sometimes make a diagnosis based on these complaints, for example eczema. But when an emaciated patient comes to the doctor with blood in the stool, the doctor cannot make a diagnosis based on these symptoms. Colon cancer may be suspected, but something completely different may also be going on. In this case further investigation is needed. Below are some more important examples.
Pulmonary embolism
When pulmonary embolism occurs, a clot blocks a blood vessel to the lungs. This is serious because it can cause the lung tissue to die. We then have to deal with a pulmonary infarction. It often concerns blood clots that originate in the legs. This is where blood clots first form due to reduced blood flow. The blood may thicken and clots or blood clots may form. This clot can be transported to the heart and close an artery there. A heart attack can then occur because the heart no longer receives oxygen. But the plug can also get stuck towards the lungs. In this case we speak of a pulmonary embolism.
Clinical signs of a pulmonary embolism are faster breathing and shortness of breath. The patient has difficulty breathing and will often breathe shallowly. Mucus may be coughed up. This mucus may be somewhat bloody. In addition, the leg may be swollen and red. We speak here of a thrombosed leg. This is often the underlying cause of pulmonary embolism.
Non-clinical symptoms include palpitations, leg pain and pain while breathing. We also call non-clinical symptoms subclinical symptoms.
Sepsis
Sepsis is also called blood poisoning. Bacteria are often the cause of this. But the toxins that bacteria cause (toxins) can also cause sepsis. When pathogenic bacteria enter the body, we call it an infection. An infection often occurs due to inflammation in the oral cavity or due to a wound on the skin. Bacteria then enter the body and can enter the bloodstream. Infections can develop elsewhere in the body, for example in the organs.
Blood poisoning is an inflammatory response of the body to the presence of bacteria in the blood. Various symptoms arise that can seriously damage the organs. Blood poisoning can therefore also be (quickly) fatal. Treatment is therefore always necessary.
Clinical signs of sepsis or blood poisoning include rapid breathing, white or pale gums, bleeding into the skin, edema (fluid retention), fever and confusion. Symptoms that are not immediately visible are a fast heart rate, low blood pressure and blood clotting in the blood vessels. Because rapid breathing and white gums often indicate a serious condition, the doctor will conduct additional examinations.
COPD
COPD is a chronic lung disease. The lungs are severely inflamed and damaged. This may be chronic bronchitis or emphysema. The cause is almost always tobacco smoking. In some cases the cause can be found in pneumonia. asthma, heredity or harmful substances entering the lungs. With COPD the lungs work less well. This causes problems with breathing. With mild symptoms of COPD, the patient can often still live well with the disease. If there are slightly more complaints, lifestyle adjustments will be necessary. In severe COPD, the patient must start using oxygen. The lungs are so badly damaged that they can no longer provide a sufficient supply of oxygen. Ultimately, the complaints become so bad that the disease becomes fatal. It is impossible to predict in advance how quickly this will happen.
Clinical and therefore visible symptoms are shortness of breath: the patient has visible difficulty breathing and taking in sufficient oxygen. Shortness of breath is therefore a common symptom. Coughing also occurs. We often see this with damage to the lungs. This is caused by the presence of mucus in the lungs. Weight loss can also be a clinical phenomenon.
Subclinical symptoms include damage to the lungs. This can only be determined through further research. Most patients are therefore referred to the lung specialist. This will conduct a further investigation. Treatment is (eventually) always necessary, as is regular check-up by the doctor.
