What is defined as objective evidence of disease acquired through testing?

• A. Symptom
• B. Diagnosis
• C. Sign
• D. Syndrome

Answer: (C)

Signs are objective evidence of disease that can be observed or measured by others, often through testing. This sets them apart from symptoms, which are subjective experiences reported by the patient. Examples include fever measured by a thermometer, high blood pressure, abnormal lab results, or findings on imaging. A diagnosis is the clinician’s label for what disease is present, based on signs, symptoms, and tests. A syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that tend to occur together. So the objective, test-able nature of signs makes this the best fit for “objective evidence of disease acquired through testing.”