noun

• An early symptom indicating the onset of a disease or illness.

  ‘Classic outbreaks consist of a skin prodrome and possible constitutional symptoms such as headache, fever, and inguinal lymphadenopathy.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘For the majority of transplant recipients, a prodrome of fever, malaise, and myalgias frequently precedes the onset of pneumonitis, which is heralded by nonproductive cough and dyspnea.’
  • ‘Patients usually recall a nonspecific prodrome of malaise, fever, and chest pain, especially in viral or idiopathic pericarditis.’
  • ‘There is often a systemic prodrome of fever, malaise and myalgias one to two days before the appearance of lesions.’
  • ‘Vasovagal syncope has three distinct phases: a prodrome, loss of consciousness, and a postsyncopal phase.’

  Synonyms

  introduction, opening remarks, preliminary remarks, preparatory remarks, opening statement, preliminary statement, preparatory statement, preliminaries, preface, lead-in, overture, prologue