A medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or characteristic that may be detected by a physician during a physical examination or by a clinical scientist by means of an in vitro examination of a patient.
Signs may have no meaning to the client, and may even go unnoticed, but may be meaningful and significant to the healthcare provider in assisting the diagnosis of medical condition(s) responsible for the patient's symptoms.
Examples include elevated blood pressure, a clubbing of the fingers (which may be a sign of lung disease, or many other things), and arcus senilis.
The term sign is not to be confused with the term indication, which denotes a valid reason for using some treatment.
Read more about Medical Sign: Signs and Semiotics, Eponymous Signs, Signs Versus Symptoms, Types of Signs, Technological Development Creating Signs Detectable Only By Physicians, Signs As Tests, Examples of Signs
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