Pathognomonic 1471142 223894914 2008-07-06T11:26:31Z StigBot 5316354 robot Adding: [[no:Patognomonisk]] '''Pathognomonic''' (often misspelled as ''pathognomic'' and sometimes as ''pathomnemonic'') is an adjective of Greek origin (παθογνωμονικό [σύμπτωμα]), often used in [[medicine]], which means ''[[diagnosis|diagnostic]] for a particular [[disease]]''. A pathognomonic [[Medical sign|sign]] is a particular sign whose presence means, beyond any doubt, that a particular disease is present. It is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''páthos'' (πάθος, disease) and gnōmon (γνώμον, "judge"). Labelling a sign or [[symptom]] "pathognomonic" represents a marked intensification of a "diagnostic" sign or symptom. While some findings may be classic, typical or highly suggestive in a certain condition, they may not occur uniquely in this condition and therefore may not directly imply a specific diagnosis. A pathognomonic finding on the other hand allows immediate diagnosing, since there are no other conditions in the [[differential diagnosis]]. A pathognomonic sign or symptom can sometimes be absent in a certain disease, since the term only implies that when it is present, the doctor instantly knows the patient's illness. Singular pathognomonic signs are relatively uncommon. Examples of pathognomonic findings include [[Koplik's spots]] inside the [[mouth]] in [[measles]], the palmar [[Xanthoma|xanthomata]] seen on the hands of people suffering from [[hyperlipoproteinemia]], or a tetrad of [[rash]], [[arthralgia]], [[abdominal pain]] and [[kidney]] disease in a child with [[Henoch-Schönlein purpura]]. ==Pathognomonic signs== None or very few of the examples here are pathognomonic in the true sense of the word. For example, Parkinsonism is not only seen in Parkinson's disease. {| class="wikitable" class="sortable wikitable" ! Disease || Sign |- | [[Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy]] || [[Gowers' sign]] |- | [[Hypocalcemia]] || [[Trousseau sign of latent tetany|Trousseau sign]] and [[Chvostek sign]] |- | [[Tetanus]] || [[Risus sardonicus]] |- | [[Liver cirrhosis]] || [[Spider angioma]] |- | [[Systemic Lupus Erythematosus]] || [[Butterfly rash]] |- | [[Bulimia Nervosa]] || Chipmunk facies (parotid gland swelling) |- | [[Leprosy]] || [[Leonine facies]] (thickened lion-like facial skin) |- | [[Measles]] || [[Koplik's spots]] |- | [[Diphtheria]] || Pseudomembrane on tonsils, pharynx and nasal cavity |- | [[Grave's disease]] || New bilateral [[Exophthalmos]] |- | [[Pancreatitis]] || [[Cullen's sign]] (bluish discoloration of umbilicus) |- | [[Chronic pancreatitis|Chronic hemorrhagic pancreatitis]] || [[Grey-Turner's sign]] (ecchymosis in flank area) |- | [[Cholera]] || [[Infectious diarrhea|Rice-watery stool]] |- | [[Typhoid fever]] || [[Rose spots]] in abdomen |- | [[Meningitis]] || [[Kernig's sign]] and [[Brudzinski's sign]] |- | [[Cholecystitis]] || [[Murphy's sign]] (pain on deep inspiration when inflamed gallbladder is palpated) |- | [[Angina pectoris]] || [[Levine's sign]] (hand clutching of chest) |- | [[Patent ductus arteriosus]] || Machine-like murmur |- | [[Parkinson’s disease]] || [[Parkinsonism|Pill-rolling tremors]] |- | [[Whipple's disease]] || Oculo-Masticatory Myorhythmia |- | [[Rib fracture]] || Pain produced with attempts to sleep on one's back |- | [[Acute Myeloid Leukemia]] || [[Auer rod]] |- | [[Multiple Sclerosis]] || [[Bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia]] |} ==See also== *[[Medical sign]] *[[List of eponymous medical signs]] ==External links== {{Wiktionary}} [[Category:Medical terms]] [[Category:Medical signs]] [[Category:Symptoms]] [[de:Pathognomonisch]] [[es:Patognomónico]] [[fr:Pathognomonique]] [[nl:Pathognomonisch]] [[no:Patognomonisk]]