Prodromal period: precursors of the disease

Any disease is a single process that regularly passes as it develops through certain stages. The most common is the division of the course of the disease into four stages: the latent phase, the prodromal period, the height and the end of the disease. This approach was formed historically and was based on the study of cyclically occurring infectious diseases. To many groups of diseases this classification is difficult to apply.

How does the disease begin?

We can assume that the disease begins with the moment of contact of the human body with some pathogenic factors, after which a latent, latent phase of the disease begins. If we are talking about infectious pathology, this stage is also called incubation. At this time, the microorganism-activator (bacteria, viruses or fungi) already circulates in the circulatory system, interacting with the human body, and there is still no symptomatology. It will appear later, when the prodromal period begins, and the first signs of the disease will appear.

The duration of the latent period is very variable. It can be like a few seconds (with cyanide poisoning, for example), and several years (AIDS, hepatitis B). For many diseases, the onset and duration of the latent phase can not be established. During the incubation period , some preventive measures may be taken. For example, if there is a danger of infection with tetanus or rabies. In the course of the infectious process, the causative agent of the disease is not released into the environment at this time.

Harbinger of disease

A person feels that he is ill, when he can reveal certain violations in his health. The prodromal period is a period of time between the moment when the first signs of the disease and the full development of the symptoms of the disease appear. This term comes from the Greek word, in the translation meaning "running ahead." This is the phase of the disease, when it is obvious that the person is unwell, but it is still difficult to determine which disease it has struck.

Especially it concerns infectious diseases, because the symptoms of the prodromal period are common for most of them. As a rule, the patient complains of malaise, headache, decreased appetite, worsening of sleep, chills and a slight increase in temperature. This is the body's response to the introduction of the pathogen and its active reproduction, but only on these grounds to establish a specific disease is impossible.

Limits and duration of the prodromal phase

In general, the definition of the boundaries of the prodromal stage is often conditional. It is difficult to identify the prodromal period of the disease, if it is chronic and develops slowly. Between the latent period and the appearance of the first signs of the disease, it is still possible to trace the boundary more or less clearly. But how to understand where it is, if it is a question of initial symptoms, on the one hand, and already pronounced on the other? Often this is possible only in the analysis of the disease after the fact, when it has already ended.

The duration of the prodromal period is usually several days: from 1-3 to 7-10. But sometimes the stage of precursors may be absent, and then immediately after the latent period, a violent clinical picture of the disease unfolds. As a rule, the absence of a prodromal period indicates a more severe course of the disease. However, for some diseases it is not typical. The prodromal period ends when general symptoms are replaced by symptoms characteristic of a particular disease. For some infectious diseases, the prodromal period is the most contagious.

Specific manifestations of the prodromal period

For some diseases, this period has characteristic manifestations that allow correctly diagnose and start treatment as early as possible, which is important for infectious diseases. So, reliable precursors of measles, even before the rash, are characteristic small spots on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, lips and gums.

At the entrance gate of the infection, inflammatory changes can sometimes occur. Such a focus of inflammation is called primary affect. Sometimes the lymph nodes in the place of infection are involved in the process, and then they talk about the primary complex. This is typical for infections that have entered the body through insect bites or by contact.

Prodromal stage in noncommunicable diseases

Although this stage is more pronounced in infectious processes, it can also be observed in diseases of a different nature. There are certain harbingers of a heart attack, when angina attacks, leukemia, in the initial period of which changes in the cellular composition of the bone marrow, epilepsy, which is predicted by disorientation and photosensitivity, are on the increase.