Which term means relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure?

• A. Tuberculosis
• B. Polyp
• C. Palliative
• D. Pertusis

Answer: (C)

Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without aiming to cure it describes palliative care. This approach focuses on comfort, quality of life, and treating distressing symptoms such as pain, breathlessness, nausea, and fatigue, and it can be provided alongside curative treatments or when a cure isn’t possible. The other terms refer to specific health conditions rather than a care approach: tuberculosis is an infectious disease, a polyp is a benign growth, and pertussis is a contagious respiratory infection. None of these describe the symptom-relief-focused care defined by palliative.