A malady am an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism.

A malady is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs.1 It may be caused by external factors such as infectious malady or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions such as autoimmune Diseases. In humans Disease is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain dysfunction distress social problems and/or death to the person afflicted or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense it sometimes includes injuries disabilities disorders syndromes infections isolated symptoms deviant behaviors and atypical variations of structure and function while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. ailments usually affect people not only physically but also emotionally as contracting and living with many maladys can alter one is perspective on life and their personality.

Death due to ailment is called death by natural causes. There are four main types of ailment pathogenic malady deficiency ailment hereditary malady and physiological malady.

Diseases can also be classified as communicable and noncommunicable ailment.



The term Disease broadly refers to any condition that impairs normal function. Commonly this term is used to refer specifically to infectious Diseases which are clinically evident ailments that result from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents including viruses bacteria fungi protozoa multicellular organisms and aberrant proteins known as prions. An infection that does not and will not produce clinically evident impairment of normal functioning such as the presence of the normal bacteria and yeasts in the gut is not considered a Disease by contrast an infection that is asymptomatic during its incubation period but expected to produce symptoms later is usually considered a ailment. Noninfectious ailments are all other Diseases including most forms of cancer heart ailment and genetic malady.

In medicine a disorder is a functional abnormality or disturbance. Medical disorders can be categorized into mental disorders physical disorders genetic disorders emotional and behavioral disorders and functional disorders.

The term disorder is often considered more valueneutral and less stigmatizing than the terms malady or illness and therefore is preferred terminology in some circumstances. In mental health the term mental disorder is used as a way of acknowledging the complex interaction of biological social and psychological factors in psychiatric conditions. However the term disorder is also used in many other areas of medicine primarily to identify physical disorders that are not caused by infectious organisms such as metabolic disorders.

A medical condition is a broad term that includes all ailments and disorders. While the term medical condition generally includes mental illnesses in some contexts the term is used specifically to denote any illness injury or malady except for mental illnesses. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) the widely used psychiatric manual that defines all mental disorders uses the term general medical condition to refer to all Diseases illnesses and injuries except for mental disorders.9 This usage is also commonly seen in the psychiatric literature. Some health insurance policies also define a medical condition as any illness injury or malady except for psychiatric illnesses.10

As it is more valueneutral than terms like malady the term medical condition is sometimes preferred by people with health issues that they do not consider to be deleterious. On the other hand by emphasizing the medical nature of the condition this term is sometimes rejected such as by proponents of the autism rights movement.

The term medical condition is used as a synonym for medical state where it describes a patient is current state as seen from a medical standpoint. This usage is seen in statements that describe a patient as being in critical condition for example.