A syndrome is a recognised combination of symptoms or clinical observations. Turner Syndrome, for example, is characterised by short stature and webbing of the neck. Syndromes are frequently named after the clinician who first described the condition. Stein Leventhal Syndrome or polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with absent or infrequent periods, infertility, hirsutism (excess body hair) and obesity (Chapter 7).
Some illnesses are psychosomatic: the patient seems to have a physical disorder such as pain or breathing difficulty but the cause is emotional. These illnesses are never easy to diagnose as a physical causation needs to be excluded. To complicate the issue, every physical illness is associated with emotional overlay.
