How to Make Sense of Symptom Trends Over Time

Trends become useful when you keep inputs consistent. Use simple ratings (severity + frequency), watch for clusters or escalation, and add brief context only when it repeats.

Key Points:

Consistency matters more than detail for pattern detection.
Look for clusters, escalation, or stable-but-disruptive patterns.
Context is most useful when it repeats (not one-offs).

What makes a trend meaningful

Same 1–3 symptoms
Same severity scale
Same frequency labels
Minimal notes

Patterns worth paying attention to

It clusters (several bad days in a row)
It escalated (worsening over weeks)
It’s stable but disruptive

If you add notes, keep them short and only when they’re likely to repeat (e.g., “worse after poor sleep”).