Any disease is a single process, naturally passing through certain stages as it develops. The most common is the division of the course of the disease into four stages: latent phase, prodromal period, peak and end of the disease. This approach was formed historically and was based on the study of cyclically occurring infectious diseases. It is difficult to apply such a classification to many groups of diseases.
How the disease begins
It can be considered that the disease begins from the moment of contact of the human body with certain pathogenic factors, after which the latent, latent phase of the disease begins. If we are talking about infectious pathology, then this stage is also called incubation. At this time, the pathogen microorganism (bacteria, viruses or fungi) is already circulating in the circulatory system, interacting with the human body, and there are still no symptoms. It will appear later, when the prodromal period begins, and the first signs of the disease appear.
The duration of the hidden period is very variable. It can be either a few seconds (with cyanide poisoning, for example) or several years (AIDS, hepatitis B). For many diseases, the onset and duration of the latent phase cannot be established. During the incubation period, some preventive measures may be taken. For example, if there is a risk of infection with tetanus or rabies. During the infectious process, the causative agent of the disease is not released into the environment at this time interval.
Harbingers of disease
A person feels that he is ill when he can detect some violations in his he alth. The prodromal period is the period of time between the moment when the first signs of the disease appear and the full development of the symptoms of the disease. This term comes from the Greek word, which means "running ahead." This is the phase of the disease when it is obvious that a person is unwell, but it is still difficult to determine which disease struck him.
This is especially true for infectious diseases, because the symptoms of the prodromal period are common to most of them. As a rule, the patient complains of malaise, headache, loss of appetite, worsening 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 it is impossible to establish a specific disease only by these signs.
Boundaries and duration of the prodromal phase
In general,the definition of the boundaries of the prodromal stage is often conditional. It is difficult to distinguish 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 more or less clearly trace the boundary. But how to understand where it is, if we are talking about the initial symptoms, on the one hand, and already pronounced on the other? Often this is possible only when analyzing 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 stormy 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 the general signs are replaced by symptoms characteristic of a particular disease. For some infectious diseases, it is the prodromal period that is most contagious.
Specific manifestations of the prodromal period
For some diseases, this period has characteristic manifestations that allow you to correctly diagnose and start treatment as early as possible, which is important for infectious diseases. So, reliable harbingers of measles, even before the appearance of a rash, are characteristic small spots on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, lips and gums.
Inflammatory changes can sometimes be observed at the site of the entrance gate of infection. SuchThe focus of inflammation is called the primary affect. Sometimes lymph nodes are involved in the process at the site of infection, and then they talk about the primary complex. This is typical for infections that enter the body through insect bites or 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 pectoris attacks become more frequent, leukemia, in the initial period of which changes in the cellular composition of the bone marrow already occur, epilepsy, which is foreshadowed by disorientation and photosensitivity.
