Asymptomatic: what is it?

A pathology is defined as asymptomatic when it does not cause the symptoms that are associated with it. If we consider the example of Covid-19, the asymptomatic patient is indeed infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, but he does not suffer from the symptoms of the disease (fever, respiratory problem, anosmia…). Besides infections, other diseases, metabolic and genetics in particular, can take an asymptomatic form.

Diagnosis of an asymptomatic form

By definition, the diagnosis of an asymptomatic form of a disease cannot be based on symptoms. It is then based on the patient’s history and medical examinations. Often, an asymptomatic disease is discovered during a medical examination done for other reasons, such as a blood test showing a hyperglycemia for example. In the context of Covid-19, the PCR test allows you to certify the presence of the coronavirus in the body at the time of the test, despite the absence of symptoms.

The concept of “healthy carrier” is similar to that of asymptomatic patient, but it is not applied for metabolic disorders. We talk about a healthy carrier in the context of an infectious disease, we can be a healthy carrier of a virus, or a genetic disease recessive (both copies of the altered gene must be present for the disease to develop).