prodromal

adjective

pro·​dro·​mal (ˌ)prō-ˈdrō-məl 

medical : being a prodrome

… about 50% of patients may have prodromal symptoms that include malaise and fever.

—James W. Wheless

: marked by prodromes

… the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's.

—Barbara Ehrenreich

After exposure to mouse droppings and a compatible incubation period, a prodromal phase of fever, chills, headache, myalgias, and vomiting was followed within 3 to 7 days by the cardiopulmonary phase of cough and dyspnea.

—David K. Rhee et al.

prodromal individuals

Examples of prodromal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To address this, authors indicated there is increasing interest in multi-method longitudinal screening during the prodromal period, incorporating multiple measures rather than relying on single assessments at isolated time points. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025

Similarities Despite their differences, hidradenitis suppurativa and herpes simplex virus are both chronic (long-term) conditions that may involve a prodromal phase and affect quality of life. —Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 14 July 2024

Early Parkinson’s detection and more The results of this experiment may help drive research into prodromal Parkinson’s disease. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023

Furthermore, because current clinical tests are costly, diagnosing the disease in its prodromal stages—before tremor onset—can be difficult. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023

Determining which attributes or traits are associated with an actual dementia diagnosis years later is key to better understanding the prodromal stage of dementia, when one's memory is deteriorating and early neurodegeneration is taking place. —Ryan Prior, CNN, 14 Oct. 2020

The prodromal migraines, however, never went away. —Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2022

Schulte and May found that on the day before a migraine struck (i.e. the 'preictal' or prodromal phase) evoked neural activity in the hypothalmus was higher, and functional connectivity between the hypothalamus and the brainstem was increased. —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2016

In about 2 in 5 cases, the illness started with the rash -- but no reported prodromal symptoms such as chills, headache or malaise. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prodromal

• isoamyl
• chromosomal
• liposomal
• comal

Medical Definition

prodromal

adjective

pro·​dro·​mal (ˈ)prō-ˈdrō-məl 

variants also prodromic

-mik 

: being a prodrome

The rash may be pruritic, maculopapular, or morbilliform, and about 50% of patients may have prodromal symptoms that include malaise and fever.

—James W. Wheless, WebMD Scientific American Medicine

: marked by prodromes

the prodromal stage of a disease

For 84 (92%) of the patients, a prodromal illness occurring within two weeks before the onset of vomiting or neurological symptoms of Reye's syndrome was reported.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association