PATHOGNOMONIC SIGNS

DISEASE	PATHOGNOMONIC SIGN
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection	owl’s eye appearance of cells (huge nucleus in cells hence the name)
Hypocalcemia	Chvostek sign (tapping of facial nerve elicits abnormal muscle contraction on other side of face) Trousseau sign (occlusion of brachial artery induces wrist spasm)
Tetanus	risus sardonicus (sustained spasm of facial muscles)
Bulimia nervosa	chipmunk facies (parotid gland swelling)
Leprosy	leonine facies (thickened folded facial skin)
Measles	Koplik’s spots (clustered white lesions on buccal mucosa)
Diphtheria	pseudomembranes in oral cavity
Pancreatitis	Cullen’s sign (ecchymosis around umbilicus) Grey-Turner’s Sign (flank ecchymosis)
Cholera	rice water stool (murky watery stool with sediments) washer woman’s hands (wrinkled hands from dehydration)
Typhoid Fever	rose spots
Meningitis	Kernig’s sign (bend hip and knee then flex the knee produces pain) Brudzinski’s sign (pressure on the cheek flexes the forearm)
Cholecystitis	Murphy’s sign (hesitation on inspiration if gall bladder is palpated)
Angina Pectoris and MI	Levine’s sign (clutching of fist on chest)
Patent Ductus Arteriosus	machine-like murmur
Parkinson’s Disease	pill-rolling tremor
Pericarditis	pericardial friction rub
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma & Mononucleosis	Reed-Sternberg Cells (large multi-nucleated cells)
Rheumatic Fever	Aschoff bodies (areas of inflammation in the heart)
Rabies	hydrophobia
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia	Auer rods (rod-like inclusions in bone marrow cells)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	barrel-chested
Scarlet Fever & Kawasaki Disease	strawberry tongue
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)	butterfly rash on the face
Appendicitis	McBurney’s point (rebound tenderness) Rovsing sign (palpation of LLQ elicits pain in RLQ) Psoas sign (pain from flexing the thigh to the hip)
Thrombophlebitis	Homan’s sign (bend knee, dorsiflex ankle, pain at popliteal area)
Pyloric Stenosis	olive-shaped mass
Hyperthyroidism	exophthalmos (protrusion of eyeballs)
Addison’s Disease	bronze-colored skin
Cushing’s Syndrome	buffalo hump at nape moon face
Asthma	wheezing
Choking	holding of throat
Down’s Syndrome	single transverse palmar crease
Tetralogy of Fallot	ventricular septal defect pulmonary stenosis overriding aorta right ventricular hypertrophy
Glaucoma	tunnel vision
Retinal Detachment	flashes of light shadow with curtain across vision
Myasthenia Gravis	ptosis (drooping of eyelids)
Dengue Fever	Herman’s sign (petechial rash)
Amoebiasis	bloody mucoid stool
Pertussis	“whoop” sound from inspiration of air after cough
Pneumonia	rusty sputum
Peritonitis	rigid, board-like abdomen
Basilar Skull Fracture	raccoon eyes (periorbital ecchymosis) Battle’s sign (mastoid ecchymosis)
Buerger’s Disease	intermittent claudication (pain at buttocks or legs from poor circulation resulting in impaired walking)
Chickenpox	vesiculopapular rash
Diabetic Ketoacidosis	acetone breath
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension	proteinuria hypertension edema
Diabetes Mellitus	polydipsia polyphagia polyuria
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)	heartburn
Hirschsprung’s Disease (Toxic Megacolon)	ribbon-like stool
Volvulus and Intussusception	currant jelly stool
Increase Intracranial Pressure	Cushing’s Triad (increased BP, decrease RR & HR)
Leptospirosis	orange eyes
Multiple Sclerosis	descending paralysis
Guillaine-Barre Syndrome	ascending paralysis
Oral Thrush/Candidiasis	white spots on tongue
Osteoporosis	kyphosis
Acute Renal Failure	azotemia (nitrogen compounds in urine) uremic frost (urea deposits in skin) uremic fetor (ammoniacal breath)

STD	MALE	FEMALE
Herpes Simples Type II	painful vesicles on genitalia
Genital Warts	warts 1-2mm in diameter
Syphilis	painless chancres
Chancroid	painful chancres
Gonorrhea	green, creamy discharge and dysuria
Chlamydia	milky discharge and dysuria
Trichomoniasis	N/A	yellow, itchy, frothy, foul-smelling vaginal discharges
Candidiasis	N/A	white cheesy odorless vaginal discharges