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Medicine vocabulary · History Taking and Examination

Onset

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈɑːnset/nounCore term

In medicine, onset means: The moment or the way in which a symptom or illness begins, for example suddenly or slowly over several weeks.

In Turkish: başlangıç, başlama şekli

How it is used

A key question in every pain history and part of memory aids such as SOCRATES (Site, Onset, Character…). Doctors describe sudden, gradual, acute or insidious onset.

Example sentences

  1. The onset of the headache was sudden, like being hit on the back of the head.

  2. Patients with new-onset diabetes may not notice any symptoms.

Common collocations

  • sudden onset
  • gradual onset
  • time of onset
  • new-onset
  • age of onset
  • symptomSomething a patient feels and reports, such as pain, tiredness or nausea, that may show they have an illness. Doctors learn about it by asking, not by measuring.
  • acuteStarting suddenly and lasting a short time, often needing quick attention; the opposite of chronic.
  • take a historyTo ask a patient structured questions about their current problem, past illnesses, medicines, family and lifestyle in order to understand what is wrong.
  • radiateOf pain, to spread from the place where it starts to another part of the body, for example from the chest to the left arm.

More terms: History Taking and Examination

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.