Transcription
Welcome back to Medical English Pro. Today's topic is something every health care professional needs to master, symptoms. By the end of this video, you'll know how to describe symptoms clearly and naturally in English, understand what patients really mean, and use professional exam ready vocabulary for real medical contexts. Let's start.
Section one, symptoms and signs. A symptom is what the patient feels, something subjective. A sign is what a health care professional observes or measures, something objective. For example, headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue are symptoms, and fever, rash, swelling, high blood pressure are signs. So remember symptoms are felt, signs are seen.
Section two, types of symptoms. Symptoms can be grouped into different categories. Let's look at some common ones.
Number one, pain related symptoms. Dull pain, mild, persistent. It's a dull ache in my back. Sharp pain, sudden intense. A sharp pain in my knee. Throbbing, pulsing, rhythmic, a throbbing headache. It's a short review of pain related symptoms. If you want to go deeper into describing types of pain and ways to talk about it, we already have a dedicated video on that topic. You'll find the link right here or in the description below.
Number two, general body symptoms. General symptoms are those that affect the body as a whole, not one specific area. Fatigue. I've been feeling exhausted for days. Weakness. My legs feel weak after walking. Dizziness or lightadedness. I feel dizzy when I stand up quickly. Fever. I've been running a temperature since yesterday. Chills or shivers. I keep getting chills even with a blanket. Loss of appetite. I haven't been hungry lately. Weight loss. I've lost about 5 kilos in the past month. Sweating. I've been sweating a lot, especially at night. Insomnia. I can't sleep at all these days. Malaise. I just feel generally unwell. Dehydration. My mouth feels dry all the time. Swelling. My ankles are swollen by evening. These are often the first clues that something's wrong, and they help you start building a clinical picture.
Number three, system specific symptoms. Now, let's look at how symptoms differ depending on the system affected. Respiratory cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, sputum, chest tightness, cardiac, chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, fainting, gastrointestinal, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal cramps. Neurological headache, dizziness, numbness, tingling, blurred vision, urinary, burning on urination, increased frequency, blood and urine, muscularkeeletal, joint pain, stiffness, muscle weakness.
Section three, how to ask about symptoms. Asking about symptoms is a skill and empathy is key. The classic Socrates approach for pain already explained in this video can be adapted to other symptoms. Let's look at some examples of doctor's questions. Can you describe what you're feeling? When did the symptoms begin? Are they constant or do they come and go? Have you had this problem before? What makes it better or worse? Do you have any other symptoms? Notice that each question is short, clear, and focuses on one detail at a time. Patients responses can be, "It comes and goes. It's worse at night. It's getting better. It started suddenly. It's worse after eating. It's mild in the morning but worse in the evening." These are natural patterns of speech you'll hear and use in clinical English.
Section four, common patient language. Lei versus medical terms. Patients often describe their symptoms in simple everyday words. As a clinician, you must understand and translate them into medical terms. Patient says, "I feel sick." meaning nausea or vomiting. I can't stop coughing means persistent cough. My legs feel swollen means edema. I feel sick to my stomach means that the patient is nauseous. My heart's pounding fast speaks of palpitations. I'm burning up. Fever or pyrexia. I've got the shakes, tremors. I've got the flu, influenza-like illness, I feel dizzy or lightaded, vertigo or postural hypotension, my stomach's upset, indigestion or disyspsia, I've got pins and needles, paristhesia, I feel bloated, abdominal distension, I keep going to the toilet, increased frequency or polyura. It hurts when I pee. Disura. My joints ache. Arthralgia. My nose is blocked. Nasal congestion. I've got a lump. Swelling. I feel weak all over. Fatigue. Learning both versions, patient and medical, makes you fluent in both worlds of communication.
Section five. Interactive practice. Time to test what you've learned. Ready?
Exercise one. Identify the symptom type. I'll read a few sentences. You decide what kind of symptom it is. I've been sweating a lot at night. Answer. General symptom. Night sweats. There's a burning feeling when I urinate. Answer: urinary symptom, dysura. I feel dizzy when I turn my head. Answer: neurological symptom, vertigo. My joints ache, especially in the morning. Answer: muscularkeeletal symptom, arthralgia.
Exercise two. Translate the patient's phrase. Match the patient's phrase to the medical term. I can't stop coughing. My legs feel swollen. I feel sick to my stomach. My heart's pounding fast. So, patient says, "I can't stop coughing, meaning persistent cough. My legs feel swollen means edema. I feel sick to my stomach means that the patient is nauseous. My heart's pounding fast speaks of palpitations.
Exercise three, mini role play. Now it's your turn. Pretend you're the doctor. Patient says, "I feel very weak and I've lost my appetite." What questions will you ask? Write your version below and I'll check your answers in the comments.
Well done. You've learned how to describe and understand symptoms from everyday language to precise medical terms. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more Medical English Pro lessons. See you in the next class, and keep speaking medicine with confidence.