Acid Reflux Disorder
Q: A commercial for some drug refers to "acid reflux disease".
Since it isn't caused by a germ (or other things I haven't thought
of), it seems more like a syndrome than a disease.
And since it only has one symptom, afaik, it doesn't sound like a
syndrome.
So I think it should just be called acid reflux. Are they afraid
people won't think it's bad, so they have to call it a disease? Or
what?
A:Of course the sufferer feels dis-ease. Besides, check this from the COD10
and point to the part requiring anything like "a germ." disease
1 a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant,
especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific part.
2 a quality, habit, or disposition that adversely affects a person or
group: the British disease of self-deprecation.
?DERIVATIVES diseased adj.
?ORIGIN ME (in the sense ‘lack of ease; inconvenience?: from OFr. desaise
‘lack of ease?
It certainly *is* "a disorder of structure or function" and it
certainly "produces specific symptoms" and "affects a specific part."
The one thing they are *not* afraid of is meirman making up ad-hoc reasons
to disallow the word disease.