Pathognomonic
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'''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]]