Which scenario does not involve the presence of any symptoms?

• A. A 61-year-old female who is unconscious with facial cyanosis
• B. A 55-year-old male with a severe headache and 2 days of nausea
• C. A 49-year-old female with blurred vision and ringing in the ears
• D. A 44-year-old male with abdominal pain and severe dizziness

Answer: (A)

This question hinges on the difference between signs and symptoms. Signs are objective findings others can observe, like unconsciousness or facial cyanosis. Symptoms are subjective experiences reported by the patient, such as headache, nausea, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, abdominal pain, or dizziness.

In the scenario where the person is unconscious, they cannot report any symptoms. What’s observable is the sign of unconsciousness (and facial cyanosis as a sign, not a symptom). The other scenarios describe experiences the patient can report or feel—headache with nausea, blurred vision with tinnitus, and abdominal pain with dizziness—so they involve symptoms.

Therefore, the situation with unconsciousness and facial cyanosis is the one without any symptoms being reported by the patient.