Prodrome

In medicine, a prodrome is an early sign or symptom (or set of signs and symptoms) that often indicates the onset of a disease before more diagnostically specific signs and symptoms develop. It is derived from the Greek word prodromos, meaning "running before". Prodromes may be non-specific symptoms or, in a few instances, may clearly indicate a particular disease, such as the prodromal migraine aura. For example, fever, malaise, headache and lack of appetite frequently occur in the prodrome of many infective disorders. A prodrome can be the early precursor to an episode of a chronic neurological disorder such as a migraine headache or an epileptic seizure, where prodrome symptoms may include euphoria or other changes in mood, insomnia, abdominal sensations, disorientation, aphasia, or photosensitivity. Such a prodrome occurs on a scale of days to an hour before the episode, where an aura occurs more immediate to it. Prodromal labour, mistakenly called "false labour," refers to the early signs before labour starts. The prodrome is a period during which an individual experiences some symptoms and/or a change in functioning, which can signal the impending onset of a mental health disorder. It is otherwise known as the prodromal phase when referring to the subsyndromal stage or the early abnormalities in behavior, mood, and/or cognition before illness onset. Early detection of the prodrome can create an opportunity to administer appropriate early interventions quickly to try to delay or decrease the intensity of subsequent symptoms. Schizophrenia#Onset Schizophrenia was the first disorder for which a prodromal stage was described. People who go on to develop schizophrenia commonly experience non-specific negative symptoms such as depression, anxiety symptoms, and social isolation. This is often followed by the emergence of attenuated positive symptoms such as problems with communication, perception, and unusual thoughts that do not rise to the level of psychosis.