According to DigoPaul, asymptomatic is a term used in medicine to name something or someone who has no symptoms of illness. To better understand this concept, therefore, we can delve into the main words of this definition.
A symptom (from the Latin symptoma) is an indication or a sign of something that is already happening or that will happen in the future. It is, in the medical field, the phenomenon that reveals the existence of a disease. This phenomenon is narrated by the patient in a subjective way when they notice something abnormal in their organism. When a person feels dizzy or has recurrent nausea, for example, they usually go to the doctor and express these symptoms so that the specialist can review them for any clinical signs (the objective manifestation that the expert notices).
Disease, on the other hand, is a condition that causes a certain process and that derives in a certain status that alters the ontological state of health of a living being. The disease state can be generated by factors (noxas) intrinsic or extrinsic to the organism.
With these two notions (symptom and disease) in clear, we can return to the definition of asymptomatic. If an individual goes to the doctor and indicates that they think they have chickenpox, the expert may indicate that their body is asymptomatic with respect to this condition, since it does not have the classic rash and the subject has not experienced a headache or fever. It can also be said that an individual is asymptomatic when he has recovered from a disorder and has stopped presenting symptoms.
Another use of the term appears when a disease does not generate symptoms that can be noticed by the patient. In this sense, it is said that a disease is asymptomatic when it is only noticed from a study, without the person feeling anything strange in his body.
Below are some of the diseases and conditions considered asymptomatic, although some of them begin to become evident once the initial stages have passed.
Aneurysms
Aneurysms are widening of the arterial walls. As they grow, there is a chance that they will break and cause dangerous bleeding and, in some cases, death. Aneurysms usually occur in the aorta (the main artery that begins in the heart and reaches the chest and abdomen), although they can also be found in the brain and heart, among other possibilities.
Before presenting symptoms, aneurysms can grow and develop; In the case of the brain, if it breaks, a stroke occurs. Doctors can stop the rupture if they can detect the problem and treat it early, both through drugs and surgery.
Glaucoma
The term glaucoma represents a group of disorders that can cause damage to the optic nerve and is the leading cause of total vision loss in North America. It usually takes place when the pressure of the liquid inside the eye increases until it damages the nerve. Most commonly, there are no symptoms during the initial stage.
When not treated in time, those affected lose peripheral vision (to the side) and, later, they tend to become blind. Despite being an asymptomatic problem, it can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam.
Arterial hypertension
The force that the blood exerts against the arterial walls is known as blood pressure. When its values exceed a certain limit, hypertension occurs, and it is normal that it does not present symptoms, although it can lead to serious conditions, such as heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and heart attacks.
Controlling blood pressure is possible through a healthy life and, in some cases, the consumption of certain medications.
