Correlate (medicine)
In general, the term correlate expresses that there is a (supplementary) correlation to a second element. In medical parlance, the correlate of a disease is understood to mean all those findings that are diagnostically associated with it. The term often stands for a correspondence between the subjective patient communication and the objective findings.
Examples
- An example of a positive correlate is radiographic imaging of a broken bone , which confirms a clinical sign of a fracture such as abnormal mobility.
- Another example of a positive correlate would be the detection of a herniated disc in an MRI examination as a correlate for the back pain described.
- In histology and imaging, an (ultrastructural) correlate is the visible equivalent of a structure that is otherwise hardly or not visible. Example: electron microscopy : "This bright spot is the correlate of that electron-dense structure."
