Skip to main content
. 2020 Feb 18;54(7):372–389. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101969

Table 9.

Recommended categories of illness symptom clusters for athlete self-report or non-medical data reporters

System/Region Symptom cluster
Upper respiratory (nose, throat) Runny nose, congestion, hay fever (allergy), sinus pain, sinus pressure, sore throat, cough, blocked/plugged nose, sneezing, scratchy throat, hoarseness, head congestion, swollen neck glands, postnasal drip (mucus running down the back of the nose to the throat).
Lower respiratory Chest congestion, wheezing (whistling sound), chesty-cough, chest pain when breathing/coughing, short of breath, laboured breathing,
Gastrointestinal Heartburn, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, constipation, weight loss or gain (>5 kg in last 3 months), a change in bowel habits, diarrhoea, blood in the stools.
Cardiovascular Shortness of breath, racing heart beats, irregular or abnormal heart beats, chest pain, chest pain or discomfort with exercise, dizziness, fainting spells, blackouts, collapse.
Urogenital/Gynaecological Burning urination, blood in urine, loin pain, difficulty in passing urine, poor urine stream, frequent urination, genital sores, loss of normal menstruation, irregular or infrequent menstruation, menstrual cramsp/pain excessively long periods, excessive bleeding during periods, vaginal discharge, penile discharge, swollen groin glands.
Neurological Headache, fits or convulsions, muscle weakness, nerve tingling, nerve pain, loss of sensation, chronic fatigue.
Psychological Anxiety, nervousness, excessive restlessness, feeling depressed (down), excessive sadness, not sleeping well, mood swings, feeling excessively stressed.
Dermatological Skin rash, dark/light/coloured areas on the skin that have changed size or shape, itchy skin lesions.
Musculoskeletal, rheumatological and connective tissue (unrelated to injury) Joint pain, joint stiffness, joint swelling, muscle twitching, muscle cramps, muscle pain, joint redness, warmth in a joint.
Dental Tooth ache, painful gums, bleeding gums, oversensitive teeth, persistent bad breath, cracked or broken teeth, jaw pain, mouth sores.
Otological Ear pain, ear discomfort, loss of hearing (new onset), deafness, discharge from ear canal, bleeding from ear canal, ringing in the ears.
Ophthalmological Pain in eye, itching or burning eye, scratchy eye, eye discharge, change in vision including double vision, blood in eye, excessive tearing, abnormal eye movements, swelling of eye, blind spot in the eye, drooping eye, halo around lights, lightning flashes, swelling of eyelid.
Non-specific illness Feeling feverish, chills, pain, whole body aches, feeling tired.
Energy, load management and nutrition (non-body system) Unexplained underperformance, reduced ability to train and compete, fatigue.