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Disease, disorder, condition, syndrome – what’s the difference?

Learn what a disease is and how it differs from a disorder, syndrome or condition.

First Published October 13, 2015 | Last Updated December 27, 2020 | 1460 Shares | By Dinethra Menon

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Disease, disorder, syndrome, condition - what's the difference? I’m sure you’re familiar with the basic concepts of diseases, disorders, syndromes, and conditions.

The terms are often used interchangeably – but they actually have different meanings.

And, for some of us – especially for those who English is a second language – describing what a disease is and how it differs from a disorder, syndrome or condition can be quite difficult.

So, what IS the difference?

Read on to learn how to understand and define diseases, disorders, syndromes, and conditions.

What is a disease?

One of the original definitions of a disease was published in the British Medical Journal as early as 1900.

Definition of disease: Resulting from a pathophysiological response to external or internal factors.

What is a disease?

Today, doctors treat and diagnose a disease based on abnormalities in systemic functions – for example, cardiovascular disease.

These abnormalities can cause both physical and emotional signs and symptoms, as well as pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems or death.

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What is a disorder?

While doctors diagnose and treat a disease, a disorder is defined as follows.

Definition of disorder: A disruption of the disease to the normal or regular functions in the body or a part of the body.

What is a disorder?For example, a disorder resulting from cardiovascular disease is an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. An arrhythmia is not a disease itself – it’s an abnormal heartbeat that occurs as a result of having cardiovascular disease.

Disorders can be classified into the following areas:

  • Mental
  • Physical
  • Genetic
  • Emotional
  • Behavioural
  • Structural

What is a syndrome?

A syndrome is a term that refers to a disease or a disorder that has more than one identifying feature or symptom.

In other words, a syndrome is defined as follows:

Definition of syndrome: A collection or set of signs and symptoms that characterise or suggest a particular disease.

What is a syndrome?Down syndrome is a well-known genetic syndrome.

It is characterised by having an extra copy of chromosome 21 in combination with a number of distinctive physical features at birth.

Medical syndromes can be caused by genetic mutations or other factors.

What is a condition?

Sometimes, a syndrome can be caused by a number of diseases or it can be a medical condition itself.

Definition of condition: An abnormal state of health that interferes with the usual activities or feeling of wellbeing.

What is a condition?For example, chronic fatigue syndrome is a neurological condition, diagnosed from a collection of symptoms in addition to the main symptom of post-exertional malaise.

Further reading

If you need to write patient education materials or assess your writing to ensure you’re communicating about diseases, disorders, conditions and syndromes accurately, here are more resources to help.
The AMA Style Insider provided a comprehensive overview of the origins of disease, condition and disorder which you can read here.

You can also read this overview on DifferenceBetween.com and this Quora discussion if you want to investigate some other perspectives on the topic.

Remember:

  • A disease is a pathophysiological response to internal or external factors.
  • A disorder is a disruption to regular bodily structure and function.
  • A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms associated with a specific health-related cause.
  • A condition is an abnormal state of health that interferes with normal or regular feelings of wellbeing.

Do you have trouble articulating the differences between diseases, disorders, syndromes and conditions? 

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Filed Under: Health writing skills

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About Dinethra Menon

Dinethra Menon is a medical and science writer with over a decade of experience communicating and writing medical education for doctors. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne and a postgraduate diploma in genetic counseling. Connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter - @dinethra_menon or check out her Facebook page, Living With Hereditary Disease.

Dinethra is a member of the Health Writer Hub Alumni.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarFarid Ahmad says

    September 12, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    I have understand some confusing terms in a very simple way at this website. Thanks a lot

    Reply
  2. AvatarMuhammad shehu na Allah says

    August 10, 2020 at 1:52 am

    I’m really appreciated to have this knowledge know because I was asked during my seminar difference between disease and disorder

    Reply
  3. AvatarMariam says

    May 16, 2020 at 10:33 am

    What are the difference between sign and symptom btw?

    Reply
    • AvatarK says

      June 17, 2020 at 7:39 am

      A sign is observed (ie blueish lips) while A symptom is described by the patient (ie headache).

      Reply
  4. AvatarEbenezer says

    May 21, 2019 at 10:29 pm

    Thank you for the enlightenment. I always get confused whats the difference between those four words. This is worth reading for.

    Reply
    • AvatarJo says

      August 27, 2019 at 3:22 pm

      Are diseases curable? Like lyme disease

      Reply
  5. AvatarIan McKenzie says

    May 2, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    Does it make sense to say that one has a disorder that becomes a disease?
    Or is is that one has a disease and develops a disorder as a result?
    or can it be either?

    Reply
  6. AvatarTAYEBWA EMMANUEL says

    March 6, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    Is allergy a genetic disorder? if yes, on which chromosome are its genes?

    Reply
  7. AvatarDavid James Dore says

    August 12, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    Therefore, drug addiction or Dry Eye are conditions not diseases.

    Reply
    • AvatarRabab Utba says

      April 8, 2020 at 12:52 am

      I still can’t distinguish yet if anemia is considered disease or syndrome!

      Reply
      • AvatarK says

        June 17, 2020 at 7:43 am

        I would argue that addiction is a disorder.

        Reply
  8. Avatarloosecog says

    May 25, 2016 at 3:48 am

    A “condition” might be “abnormal” compared to the general population but not necessarily to the individual affected — I think you can have a condition your whole life.

    Reply

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