Disease, illness, and sickness: distinguishing the terms
In medical English, there are three closely related words denoting an unhealthy state, and it is important to distinguish their usage.
- Illness is a general state in which the body or mind suffers because an organ or its part fails to function normally.
- Sickness is a state of being ill; a more informal synonym for illness, used in colloquial speech.
- Disease is a disorder in a human, animal, or bird caused by infection or health impairment, but not by a traumatic event. This term is used in formal and scientific contexts.
Thus, the key difference of disease lies in its etiological sign: it is a pathology of internal origin, rather than the result of external damage.
Common diseases and conditions
- Allergy is an immune reaction caused by allergens; it manifests upon ingestion of certain foods, contact, or inhalation of substances. Example: I am allergic to cats / oranges.
- Fever is a state in which body temperature is above normal. He has a slight fever.
- Cold is a common name for an upper respiratory viral infection. Construction: to have a cold.
- Flu (influenza) is a common viral infection accompanied by high fever and a more severe course than a common cold.
- Runny nose: nasal discharge, secretion of mucus from the nose.
- Sneeze: an involuntary expulsion of air and mucus droplets from the nose and mouth.
- Blow (one's nose): controlled exhalation of air through the nose.
Skin symptoms and general condition
- Dizziness: a temporary impairment of the sense of balance with a risk of falling. Construction: my head is spinning.
- Rash: multiple red elements on the skin, often itchy. I have a rash on my skin.
- Sunburn: redness and soreness of the skin after prolonged sun exposure.
Pain, ache, and sore: vocabulary of pain
English medical tradition distinguishes several terms to denote pain, and their correct choice is important when taking a medical history.
- Pain is a sensation of physical suffering arising from injury or disease; usually sharp and pronounced. Example: I felt a sharp pain in my arm.
- Ache — constant, prolonged, unpleasant, but not very severe pain. Used in fixed combinations with body parts:
- headache
- earache
- toothache
- backache
- stomachache
- Sore is an adjective meaning painful or inflamed due to pain or infection. Combinations: sore throat, sore eyes, sore arm, sore feet.
Traumas and injuries
Injury is physical damage inflicted on a person as a result of an accident or assault. Unlike disease, injury always has an external cause.
Main types of injuries:
- Bruise: occurs after a blunt force impact.
- Sprain: stretching or tearing of ligaments.
- Strain: stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon.
- Bite, for example, an animal bite.
- Cut: a wound caused by a sharp object. I cut myself.
- Wound: open tissue damage. I have a wound.
Using vocabulary in clinical speech
To construct correct patient complaints, fixed phrases are used:
- I have a + (cold / fever / headache / rash / runny nose);
- I am allergic to… for allergy history;
- My + (body part) + hurts / is sore for pain localization;
- I feel a sharp / dull pain in… to characterize the pain syndrome.
Precise choice between pain, ache, and sore, as well as between disease, illness, and injury, allows for accurate documentation of complaints and formulation of a preliminary diagnosis in English.
Key points
- Disease is caused by infection or internal dysfunction, injury by external impact.
- Illness and sickness are synonyms for general unwellness; sickness is more informal.
- Pain is acute suffering, ache is prolonged moderate pain, sore is the adjective "painful".
- Ache forms fixed compound words: headache, earache, toothache, backache, stomachache.
- Cold is cold, flu is flu; characteristic symptoms: fever, runny nose, sneezing.
- An allergic reaction is described by the construction to be allergic to + allergen.
- Types of injuries: bruise, sprain, strain, cut, wound, bite.
- Skin manifestations are rash and sunburn.