EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE – CAVITE

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Fritz Ian Estrella Floresca, BSN, RN

PATHOGNOMONIC SIGNS OF DISEASES

Pathognomonic is a term, often used in medicine that means characteristic for a particular disease
-the word pathognomonic comes from the Greek “pathognomonikos” meaning “skilled in judging
diseases”
Pathognomonic Signs are particular sign whose presence means that a particular disease is present beyond any
doubt

Diseases Signs
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Pulsating abdominal mass
Abruption Placenta Painful bleeding, board-like abdomen
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Auer rod
Acute Renal Failure Azotemia, uremic frost on skin
Addison's disease Bronze-like skin pigmentation
Amoebiasis Mucoid, foul explosive blood tinged stool
Angina pectoris Levine's sign (hand clutching of chest)
Appendicitis Rebound tenderness (McBurney’s point)
Rovsing Sign (Right Left Quadrant pain with
palpation in Left lower quadrant)
Arthritis Buotonniere deformity, swan neck deformity, ulnar
drift, Bouchard’s nodes
Ascariasis Vomiting, passing out of worms
Asthma Wheezing on expirations
Atrial Septal Defect Murmur heard high on chest
Autism Rocking, spinning, routines
Bacterial Vaginosis Grayish, white discharge, malodorous
Basilar Fracture Raccoon’s eye
Breech Birth Meconium staining
Buerger’s Disease (Thromboangitis Intermittent claudication
Obliterans)
Bulimia Nervosa Chipmunk facies (parotid gland swelling)
Candidiasis Cheeselike discharge
Carbon monoxide poisoning Cherry pink flushed face, carbon in the secretions,
non productive cough
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Jack Hammer Syndrome (Tinel’s sign)
Cataract Blurry vision/hazy vision, cloudy vision
Celiac Disease Gluten sensitivity, watery, pale foul-smelling stool
Chicken Pox Vesiculopapular rash
Cholecystitis Murphy's sign (pain on deep inspiration when
inflamed gallbladder is palpated)
Cholera Rice-watery stool
Washer’s woman hands
Chronic hemorrhagic pancreatitis Grey-Turner's sign (ecchymosis in flank area)
Cushing’s Syndrome Moon face
Buffalo Hump
CVA Homonymous Hemianopsia
Cystocele and Rectocele Feeling of fullness at vagina
 Diseases Signs
Cytomegalovirus infection Owl’s eye appearance of inclusion bodies
Dengue Herman’s sign
Detached Retina Flashes of light, shadow with curtain across the
vision
Diabetes Ketoacidosis Acetone breath
Diabetes Mellitus 3P’s (polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria)
Diphtheria Pseudomembrane on tonsils, pharynx and nasal
cavity
Down Syndrome Protruding tongue, saddle nose, brushfield’s spots,
single crease on palm
Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy Gowers' sign
Emphysema       Barrel chest
Encephalitis Decorticate and decerebate rigidity
Enterobiasis Nocturnal itchiness
Failure to Thrive (FTT) Radar gaze
GERD Barret esophagus, heartburn
Glaucoma Tunnel vision
Gonorrhea Burning sensation upon urination
Gouty Arthritis Formation of tophi at the earlobe usually the big toe
Guillain-Barre Ascending paralysis
Hemophilia Hemarthoses
Henoch-Schönlein purpura A tetrade of rash, arthralgia, abdominal pain and
kidney disease in a child
Hepatic Disease Asterixis, jaundice
Herpes Zoster Regional painful rash
Hirschprung’s disease (Megacolon) Ribbon-like, foul smelling stool
H-mole Grapelike growth, large abdomen
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Hodgkin and Reed-Sternburg cells (giant mono-
and multinucleated cells)
Hyperthyroidism Exophthalmos
Hypocalcemia Trousseau sign and Chvostek sign
Increased IOP Doll’s eye
Intestinal Obstruction No passage of meconium
Intussusceptions Sausage shaped mass, dance sign, currant jelly-
like stool
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Typical triad: abdominal pain with tenderness on
palpation, altered bowel habits, absence of
detectable disease
Kawasaki Disease Strawberry tongue
Kleibsiella Pneumonia Red gelatinous sputum
Klinefelter’s Syndrome XXY in males
Leprosy Leonine facies (thickened lion-like facial skin)
Nerve involvement with acid fast bacilli
Leptospirosis Orange eyes
Liver cirrhosis Spider angioma
Lyme’s disease Bull eye’s rash
Malaria Cycle of hot stage (high fever) followed by
diaphoretic stage (sweating) and then cold stage
(chilling)
Measles Koplik's spots
Meniere’s disease Vertigo
Meningitis Kernig's sign and Brudzinski's sign
Meningococcemia Purple petechiae
 Diseases Signs
Monillasis White “cheesy” discharge
Multiple Sclerosis Descending weakness, Charcot’s sign (intention
tremor, nystagmus, scanning speech)
Mumps Swollen parotid gland
Myasthenia Gravis (MG) Ptosis (inability to open upper eyelids), nasal smile
Myocardial Infarction Levine’s sign
Neurofibromatosis Plexiform neurofibroma
Oral Thrush White patches on tongue
Osteoporosis Kyphosis
Pancreatitis Cullen's sign (bluish discoloration of umbilicus)
Parkinson’s disease Pill-rolling tremors
Patent ductus arteriosus Machine-like murmur
Pericarditis Pericardial friction rub
Pernicious anemia Red beefy tongue
Pertusis Paroxysmal cough ending with a whoop
Pertusis Violent cough without intervening inhalation
followed by an inspiratory whoop
Phemphigus Vulgaris Nikolsky sign
Phenylketonuria Blue eyes
Placenta previa Painless bright red bleeding
Pleural effusion Stony dull percussion
Pneumonia Rusty colored sputum
Poliomyelitis Poker’s sign, Haynes sign
Rabies Hydrophobia/photophobia
Retinoblastoma Cat’s eye reflex
Rheumatic fever Aschoff nodules
Rock Mountain Spotted Fever Rose colored macules
Scabies Weeping itch
Scarlet fever Raspberry tongue
Sickle cell anemia Painful episodes or vaso-occlusive crisis
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Butterfly rash
Tetanus Risus sardonicus, lockjaw
Tracheoesophageal fistula 3c’s= coughing, choking, cyanosis
Trichominiasis Malodorous, thin yellow discharge
Turner’s Syndrome Karyotype in females, webbed neck, gonadal
dysgenesis
Typhoid fever Rose spots in abdomen
Whipple’s disease Oculo-masticatory myorhythmia

Pathognomonic signs of Communicable Diseases

1. COPD Barrel-Chested
2. Pneumonia - Greenish Rusty Sputum
3. Pernicious Anemia - Beefy Red Tongue (Schilling’s Test)
4. Kawasaki Dse Strawberry Tongue
5. Malaria - Stepladder Fever
6. Typhoid - Rose Spot
7. Tetany - Chvostek Sign (Muscle Twitching Face)
- Trosseau’s Sign (Jerky Movements)
8. Pancreatitis - Cullen’s Sign (Bluish discoloration periumbilical area)
9. Appendicitis - McBurney’s Point (rebound tenderness)
- Rovsing Sign (RLQ pain w/ palpation in LLQ)
- Psoas Sign(pain on lying down putting pressure on MB pt)
10. Thrombophlebitis - Homan’s Sign
11. Hepatitis - Icteric Sclerae (yellowish discoloration of sclera)
12. Meningitis - Burdzinski’s Sign (Pain on nape)
- Kernig’s Sign (pain on leg/ knee area)
13. Pyloric Stenosis - Olive-Shaped Mass
14. Hyperthyroidism - Exopthalmos
15. Addison’s Dse. - Bronze-like skin
16. Cushing Syndrome- Buffalo Hump
17. Cholera - Rice Watery Stool
18. SLE - Butterfly Rashes
19. Leprosy - Leonine Facie (contracted face)
20. Bulimia Nervosa - Chipmunk Face
21. Liver Cirrhosis - Spider Angioma
22. Asthma - Wheezing Inspiration
23. Hyperpituitarism - CAROTENEMIA (Discoloration of skin)
XANTHAMIA
24. Down Syndrome- Single Crease on Palm/Simean crease
25.TOF - Clubbing of Fingernails
Ventricular Septal Defect
Pulmonary Stenosis
Overriding of Aorta
Right Ventricular Hypertrophy
26. Cataract - Blurry Vision / Hazy Vision / cloudy Vision
27. Glucoma - Tunnel-like Vision
28. PTB - Low grade fever in afternoon
29. Cholecystitis - Murphy’s Sign (pain RUQ)
30. Myasthemia Gravis (MG) – Ptosis (inability to open upper eyelids)
31. Dengue - Petechiae / (+) tourniquet test
32. Parkinson’s Dse. - Pill Rolling Tremors
33. MI - Levine’s Sign (Clutching of the chest)
34. Measles - Koplik’s Spot