Dear Statalist:

I have a set of string variables that contain each a word related to symptoms of a disease or a specific symptom. Some examples:

Obs1: VAR1: Sore ; VAR2: throat ; VAR3: EMPTY
Obs2: VAR1: Sore ; VAR2: Cough; VAR3: throat

How can I create a new variable (VAR4: “Sore throat”) that registers two words of interest (Sore & throat) in this set of string variables?

I’ll appreciate any help!
Alejandra