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Syndrome--a changing concept.

¹National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland.

Bulletin of the Medical Library Association

|October 1, 1992

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The medical term "syndrome" has evolved from describing complex conditions to a broadly applied descriptor. This has led to irrelevant literature and diminished its value as a specific medical search term.

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Area of Science:

Medical Terminology
Medical History
Information Science

Background:

The term "syndrome" has a long history in medicine, traditionally denoting complex medical conditions with multiple concurrent symptoms.
Mid-twentieth century shifts altered its usage, initially favoring descriptive names over physician eponyms.
However, new forms of eponyms emerged, including non-medical references, and the definition broadened.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the historical evolution of the term "syndrome" in medical and non-medical contexts.
To investigate the impact of broadened usage on medical literature and database searchability.
To assess the deterioration of "syndrome" as a specific MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) term.

Main Methods:

Historical analysis of medical nomenclature and terminology.

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Review of the definition and application of the term "syndrome" over time.

Examination of literature databases (e.g., MEDLARS) and MeSH term utility.

Main Results:

The term "syndrome" expanded beyond its original medical scope to include social, behavioral, and cultural phenomena.
This broadened application resulted in a significant increase in irrelevant literature.
The specificity and utility of "syndrome" as a MeSH term have consequently declined.

Conclusions:

The unrestrained and broadened use of "syndrome" has diluted its medical specificity.
This has led to a proliferation of ambiguous literature and compromised its effectiveness as a precise search parameter in medical databases.
Re-evaluation of syndrome nomenclature and usage is necessary to restore its clinical and informational value.