Definition and Classification of Syndromes
- A syndrome is a set of medical signs and symptoms correlated with each other.
- The word 'syndrome' comes from the Greek word meaning concurrence.
- When a syndrome is paired with a definite cause, it becomes a disease.
- Some syndromes are closely linked with a specific pathogenesis or cause.
- Syndromes can also be non-specific and caused by various factors.

Eponymous Syndrome Names
- Syndromes are often named after the physician or group of physicians who discovered them.
- Eponymous syndrome names are examples of medical eponyms.
- There has been a shift towards naming conditions descriptively, but eponymous syndrome names still persist.
- Naming syndromes after their clinical picture helps in pattern recognition and differential diagnosis.
- Teratology (dysmorphology) involves defining congenital syndromes that may include birth defects, dysmetabolism, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Subsyndromal and Subclinical Conditions
- Subsyndromal refers to symptoms suggesting a disease but not meeting the defined diagnostic criteria.
- Subclinical is not always interchangeable with subsyndromal and can mean undetectable or asymptomatic.
- Diagnosis of subsyndromal conditions is subjective and up to the clinician.
- Subsyndromal conditions may not have advanced to a certain level or may have similar symptoms caused by other issues.
- Subclinical conditions may not produce detectable effects or be detectable through usual clinical tests.

Usage of Syndrome in Different Fields
- In general medicine, a broad definition of syndrome is used to describe a collection of symptoms and findings without tying them to a single identifiable cause.
- In medical genetics, syndrome is used when the underlying genetic cause is known.
- Psychiatric syndromes are used in psychiatry and psychopathology to describe various mental disorders.
- Syndrome is also used in biology to describe characteristic sets of features in different contexts.
- In orbital mechanics and astronomy, Kessler syndrome refers to the effect of high density of objects in low Earth orbit causing potential collisions and space debris.

Naming of Syndromes
- There is no set convention for naming newly identified syndromes.
- In the past, syndromes were often named after the physician or scientist who described them.
- Descriptive names based on symptoms or underlying cause are becoming more common.
- Naming syndromes helps in communication, recognition, and understanding of medical conditions.
- The naming of syndromes varies across different fields and disciplines.