Symptomatic can mean showing symptoms, or it may concern a specific symptom. Symptoms are signs of disease or injury and are usually noticed by the patient.
Many conditions and diseases have symptoms. A cough can be a symptom of an upper respiratory infection.
When someone has the common symptoms associated with a disease or condition, they are considered symptomatic. When a disease exists without noticeable symptoms, the patient is asymptomatic.
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.