Medical Tutorial - freebase-schema/freebase GitHub Wiki

Introduction

Medicine is called the science of healing. It involves the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease as well as the promotion of health. The practice of medicine is focused and devoted to the health and well-being of patients by maintaining and restoring the healthy functions of the human body.

Entity Types

• Disease or Medical Condition
• Symptoms
• Medical Treatment
• Disease Vector
• Risk Factor
• Medical Specialty

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition of the human body that causes discomfort or impairs bodily functions. This type also includes medical conditions such as injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, etc. that affect the normal functioning of a person, whether physically or mentally.

Aliases, synonyms and lay terms

• illness
• sickness
• medical condition

Causes

Infectious and contagious diseases are caused by pathogens like bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi. These are transmitted by direct contact with materials that harbour pathogens, through disease vectors, or from contaminated food and water.

Examples of Infectious Diseases:

• Chickenpox
• Malaria
• Candidiasis
• Cholera

Non-infectious diseases are caused by genetics, lifestyle, and social and environmental factors.

Examples of Non-infectious Diseases:

• Bipolar disorder
• Dyslexia
• Lung cancer
• Leukemia

Symptoms

A symptom is an indication of the existence of a disease or medical condition. It is subjective and is felt by the patient.

Symptom VS Sign

A symptom is something that is felt and observed by the patients whereas a sign is something that can be seen by other people. A symptom may also be a sign when it can both be observed by the patient and other people e.g. a skin rash. Pain, on the other hand, can only be considered a symptom because only the patient can feel and observe it.