A syndrome is a collection of several clinically recognisable symptoms or conditions which occur together and suggest the presence of a certain disease. The word “syndrome” is most often used to refer to the set of detectable characteristics when the cause for their joint occurrence has not yet been established.

The term is derived from the Greek συνδρομή (sundromē), meaning “concurrence of symptoms” from σύν (sun) and “along with” from δρόμος (dromos). It is translated as “running together” referring to the set of symptoms which appear together. As a physical cause for the symptoms are not always identifiable, many syndromes remain medical mysteries. A syndrome can indicate a disease but not necessarily as it may be that a person has several diseases, that is several different diseases can all cause the same syndrome.

What is the difference between a syndrome and a disease?

 

A syndrome is different from a disease in that the cause for the symptoms of a disease are identified and linked to a specific problem while, with a syndrome, the group of symptoms may not be linked to a specific problem.

Physical and psychological syndromes

There are a multitude of different types of syndromes. Down syndrome is a common chromosome disorder due to an extra chromosome number 21 (trisomy 21), causing mental retardation, a characteristic face and multiple malformations. Chronic fatigue syndrome leaves a person suffering from it so tired and run down that it interferes with his or her life and makes it hard to function at all, leaving some sufferers severely disabled and even bedridden. Sick building syndrome is a combination of ailments associated with an individual’s workplace or residence and is linked to poor indoor air quality. Premenstrual syndrome is a collection of specific physical and psychological afflictions featuring a consistent pattern of symptoms occurring only during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Turner syndrome is a medical disorder affecting about one in 2500 girls resulting from a problem with a girl’s chromosomes. Physical symptoms of Turner syndrome includes a short stature and can be treated if the syndrome is diagnosed while a girl is still growing. Foreign accent syndrome is a speech disorder causing sudden changes in speech pattern, intonation and pronunciation, resulting in the speaker being perceived as speaking with a “foreign” accent. It usually results from severe trauma to the brain, usually caused by a stroke or head injury. Moebius syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects people from birth and is characterised by the inability to form facial expressions leaving a sufferer unable to move the facial muscles or move the eyes from side to side. Hypertrichosis or werewolf syndrome is a medical condition causing excessive growth of bodily hair, typically on the upper body, including the face. There are only about 50 documented cases and it is generally caused through genetic inheritance. Progeria syndrome is an extremely rare genetic affliction causing premature aging. Occuring in roughly one in eight million, most sufferers do not live beyond the age of thirteen. Locked-in syndrome occurs when a person is paralyzed, being able only to move their eyes. The cause of this syndrome is uncertain.

Culture-bound syndromes

Some syndromes are known as culture-bound, culture-specific or folk illness and are a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms recognisable only within a specific society or culture. There are no objective biochemical or structural alterations of body organs or functions and the symptoms are not recognised in other cultures. Ghost sickness is a culture-bound syndrome which some Native American tribes believe are caused by association with the dead or dying. It is considered to be a psychotic disorder of Navajo origin with symptoms including general weakness, loss of appetite, feelings of suffocation, recurring nightmares and a pervasive feeling of terror.

Other syndromes

Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response found in an abducted hostage where the hostage shows signs of sympathy, loyalty or even voluntary compliance with the hostage taker. The syndrome is named after a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. The exact opposite of Stockholm syndrome is Lima syndrome in which case the hostage takers become more sympathetic to the plights and needs of their hostages. It is named after the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Lima, Peru in 1997.

Diogenes syndrome is a condition characterized by extreme self-neglect, reclusive tendencies and compulsive hoarding found mainly in old people. Diogenes was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived in a wine barrel and promoted ideas of nihilism and animalism, and the syndrome is actually a misnomer as there is no evidence to prove he lived a life of self-neglect. Jerusalem syndrome is a form of religious mania resulting from or leading to a visit to the city of Jerusalem. Since 1980 there has been an average of close to a hundred cases per year reported. Similarly, Paris syndrome is a condition exclusive to Japanese tourists and nationals causing them to have a mental breakdown while in the famous city. Around a dozen of the millions of tourists visiting the city every year succumb to the Paris syndrome and has to be returned to their home country. Stendhal syndrome describes feelings of anxiety, dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat and even hallucinations and fainting upon seeing beautiful works of art. The condition is most widely associated with the art of Florence although it has been applied to similar reactions to overwhelming beauty of any type.

These are just a couple of examples of the different types of syndromes afflicting people today. There are many more and for most there are no known cure and only some of the symptoms are treatable, yet the cause and cure of most syndromes remain a mystery.

 

Sources
http://dictionary.reference.com
http://www.doctorslounge.com
http://www.medicalassistantprograms.net
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net
http://en.wikipedia.org