Non-specific symptoms
Definition
Non-specific symptoms are symptoms that could have more than one cause. This seems like it would apply to just about all symptoms, but the way the term is used in practice is that a non-specific symptom could come from such a wide range of causes that it has very low diagnostic value on its own.
Example
In a questionnaire on colorectal cancer in Denmark, the distinction was made between specific symptoms such as abdominal pain, change in stool texture, change in stool frequency, blood in stool / rectal bleeding, and non-specific symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal bloating, weight loss, feeling unwell, and tiredness.
Sources
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus (2020)
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2018)
Kuzminski, S.J., Misuse of the Term Nonspecific, (Journal of the American College of Radiology, 2016)
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition, (2003)
Rasmussen, S., et al., Specific and non-specific symptoms of colorectal cancer and contact to general practice, (Family Practice, 2015)