pretzel wrote:I still have a problem labeling certain conditions of the body as "disease". For me, personally, only in the larger definition is Restless Leg a "disease". In the narrower sense it is a "disorder" in my way of thinking.
Two questions:
1) What is disease?
2) What is disorder?
Hi Pretzel/Judy
OK, my curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the definitions/meanings of 1) Disease; 2) Disorder; 3) Genetic Disorder and; 4) Syndrome and below is what I found:
1) Disease (noun): A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism relsulting from various causes such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterised by an identifiable group of signs and symptoms.
2) Disorder (noun): An ailment that affects the function of mind or body.
3) Genetic Disorder (noun): A pathological condition caused by an absent or defective gene or by a chromosomal aberration. Also called "hereditary disease" or "inherited disorder".
4) Syndrome (noun):
.....
4a) A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease or psychological disorder or other abnormal condition;
.....
4b) A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality;
.....
4c) A distinctive characteristic pattern of behaviour.
Looking at all four definitions ... RLS fits under ALL of them:
1) As a
Disease - RLS is a patholgical condition of a system (i.e. central nervous system) resulting from various causes (take your pick of the causes really)
2) As a
Disorder - RLS is an ailment that affect the function of both the mind and the body.
3) As a
Genetic Disorder - In cases of PRIMARY RLS it is a pathological condition caused (possibly only - the "jury's" still out on this one) by a defective gene.
4) As a
Syndrome - RLS is characterized by a group of symptoms that collectively indicate a disease or disorder or other abnormal condition.
I totally agree with your point of RLS being a "disease" in a larger definition yet a "disorder" in the narrower sense.
Medically I think it has been "labelled" correctly when it was named as a "syndrome", because when you look at it in the nitty gritty sense of the definition of a syndrome, that's what it is (think that made sense LOL).
Well, that's my take on it anyway.