Final answer:
The term for a patient's described medical issue is the 'chief complaint,' which healthcare professionals use to denote the main reason for seeking medical attention, not to be confused with a 'principal diagnosis' or 'primary diagnosis.' The stage of disease characterized by general signs and symptoms is the prodromal period.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient visits a healthcare provider, they describe their medical issue, which is typically referred to as the chief complaint. This term is used by healthcare professionals to indicate the patient's primary reason for seeking medical attention. The chief complaint is often noted in the patient's medical record and is distinct from the principal diagnosis (which is the primary diagnosis after evaluation) or the primary diagnosis (which is sometimes used interchangeably with the principal diagnosis but can also refer to the main condition in a list of multiple diagnoses).
The stage of disease where the patient begins to show general signs and symptoms is known as the prodromal period. During this phase, the individual might experience non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and malaise, before more specific signs and symptoms related to the disease develop.