Symptoms

Symptom data includes all symptoms you've recorded in Apple Health, such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, and other health symptoms. In JSON exports, symptoms are stored in the symptoms array.

Structure

Each symptom entry includes information about when it occurred, its severity, and the source of the data:

{
  "start": "2024-02-06 10:00:00 -0800",
  "end": "2024-02-06 12:00:00 -0800",
  "name": "Headache",
  "severity": "Moderate",
  "userEntered": true,
  "source": "Health Auto Export"
}

Fields

Required Fields

• start (Date): Start time of the symptom in format yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss Z
• end (Date): End time of the symptom in format yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss Z
• name (String): Name of the symptom (e.g., "Headache", "Fatigue", "Nausea", "Fever")
• severity (String): Severity level of the symptom (e.g., "Mild", "Moderate", "Severe")
• userEntered (Boolean): Whether the symptom was manually entered by the user (true) or automatically recorded (false)
• source (String): Source of the symptom data (e.g., app name, device name, or "Health Auto Export")

Symptom Duration

Symptoms can be recorded as:

• Point-in-time: When start and end are the same, indicating a momentary symptom
• Duration-based: When start and end differ, indicating the symptom lasted for a period of time

Example Entries

Single Moment Symptom

{
  "start": "2024-02-06 14:30:00 -0800",
  "end": "2024-02-06 14:30:00 -0800",
  "name": "Dizziness",
  "severity": "Mild",
  "userEntered": true,
  "source": "Health Auto Export"
}

Duration-Based Symptom

{
  "start": "2024-02-06 08:00:00 -0800",
  "end": "2024-02-06 18:00:00 -0800",
  "name": "Fatigue",
  "severity": "Moderate",
  "userEntered": true,
  "source": "Health Auto Export"
}

Multiple Symptoms

[
  {
    "start": "2024-02-06 09:00:00 -0800",
    "end": "2024-02-06 11:00:00 -0800",
    "name": "Headache",
    "severity": "Severe",
    "userEntered": true,
    "source": "Health Auto Export"
  },
  {
    "start": "2024-02-06 10:00:00 -0800",
    "end": "2024-02-06 10:00:00 -0800",
    "name": "Nausea",
    "severity": "Mild",
    "userEntered": true,
    "source": "Health Auto Export"
  }
]

Common Symptoms

Apple Health supports tracking various symptoms, including but not limited to:

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Fever
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Runny Nose
• Body Aches
• Chills
• Shortness of Breath
• Chest Pain
• Abdominal Pain
• Joint Pain
• Muscle Pain

Severity Levels

Severity levels may vary depending on how the symptom was recorded, but common values include:

• Mild: Minor discomfort, doesn't significantly impact daily activities
• Moderate: Noticeable discomfort, may impact some daily activities
• Severe: Significant discomfort, substantially impacts daily activities

Data Sources

The source field indicates where the symptom data originated:

• User-entered: When userEntered is true, the symptom was manually logged by you
• App-recorded: When userEntered is false, the symptom may have been recorded by a connected health app
• Device-recorded: Some devices or apps may automatically detect and record certain symptoms

Use Cases

Symptom data can be useful for:

• Health tracking: Monitor patterns in symptoms over time
• Medical appointments: Share symptom history with healthcare providers
• Correlation analysis: Identify relationships between symptoms and other health metrics
• Illness tracking: Track symptoms during illness to monitor recovery
• Chronic condition management: Monitor symptoms related to chronic conditions

Tips

• Be consistent: Use consistent naming and severity levels for better analysis
• Record timing: Accurate start and end times help identify patterns
• Combine with other data: Cross-reference symptoms with other health metrics (e.g., temperature, heart rate) for comprehensive health insights

Related Documentation

• JSON Export Format Overview
• Manual Export Guide
• Automations Overview