Signs of human disease: how to identify diseases by the first external signs, clinical signs of the disease

Thus, symptoms are understood as the subjective impressions of the patient in describing his condition. External signs of the disease are considered to be indicators identified during the examination. And the clinical signs of the disease are data that are obtained from medical and laboratory studies.

It is necessary to pay attention to the characteristic signs of the disease even before providing assistance to the sick person. Moreover, the same increase in body temperature or abdominal pain can indicate a variety of ailments. And they are all treated differently. Therefore, you need to know what this or that external sign of the disease indicates, and you can determine the general condition of a person simply by observing him, evaluating the state of his consciousness and psyche, skin and the functioning of the physiological systems of his body.

What are the most characteristic signs of illness: a change in consciousness

A sign of a disease in a person can be a change in consciousness: cloudiness, stupor, stupor and coma.

Even not too obvious changes in consciousness, the so-called lethargy, should cause alertness. With lethargy, the sick person is indifferent to himself and to others. He meaningfully answers questions, but his speech is different from the speech of ordinary people (slower). In some cases, he gives correct answers only to certain questions. Sometimes there is a noticeable violation of orientation in time and space.

The next degree of change in consciousness is characterized by more pronounced lethargy. A person in a state of stupor (stupor) is as if in a half-sleep. He answers questions without meaning, he is not aware of his answers. It is very difficult to get him out of this state.

An undoubted sign of the presence of the disease is stupefaction (stupor). In this case, the sick person is completely indifferent to the surrounding people and events. He does not answer questions addressed to him, but his reflexes are preserved.

In the extreme degree of impaired consciousness – coma – a person completely loses consciousness, body functions and reflexes are lost, muscles relax.

In addition to the above disorders, the definition of diseases is possible on the basis of mental disorders: hallucinations, delirium, affective and motor disorders. They require emergency psychiatric help.

Definition of diseases by the main features: body position

Identification of the first signs of the disease is possible by the position of the human body. So, there are three types of the patient’s position: active, passive and forced.

An extremely serious condition of a person is indicated by such a main symptom of the disease as a passive position. He lies motionless, sliding to the foot edge of the bed, completely indifferent to what is happening, his expression is indifferent.

Often patients take a forced position to relieve some symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, etc.):

1) sitting position – taken by patients with shortness of breath due to heart failure, with bronchial asthma, etc .;

2) position on the back – taken by patients with appendicitis, peritonitis, etc.;

3) lying on the stomach – taken for pain in the epigastric region (for example, with diseases of the pancreas);

4) position on the side – typical for patients with pleurisy, pneumonia;

5) knee-elbow position – taken by patients with hepatic, renal and intestinal colic, trying to reduce severe pain, they are often restless and rush about in bed;

6) position with the torso tilted forward – taken by patients with pericarditis, pancreatic cancer.

How to identify the signs of a person’s illness by the face

The facial expression of the sick person also reflects his condition. As they say, the signs of the disease are on the face, that is, they are visible to the naked eye.

If a person experiences severe pain, his face becomes similar to the "Hippocratic face": sunken eyes, sharply marked nasolabial folds, a pointed tip of the nose. This is usually observed in abdominal catastrophes and heavy bleeding.

How to identify a person’s illnesses by face, and under what external manifestations should you immediately consult a doctor?

It is possible to identify diseases by such signs as a one-sided blush and a rash on the lips. This most often speaks of croupous pneumonia.

For patients with renal ailments, such basic signs of the disease as swelling of the face, pallor and swelling are characteristic.

A “mitral" face with a bluish blush is the most characteristic sign of such a disease as heart disease.

In people who have had a stroke or encephalitis, as well as in people with brain damage, the face is mask-like.

In patients with lupus erythematosus, a typical rash appears on the face in the form of a pink "butterfly" located on both sides of the nose.

And how to identify diseases of an infectious nature by the face? In this case, a rash appears on the face – it is typical for measles, rubella, scarlet fever, typhoid, etc.

Signs of the presence of any disease: the condition of the skin

What other signs are there in diseases or overloads of the body? You can determine the disease by the condition of the skin. Human skin performs a number of functions: protective, respiratory, excretory, etc. In addition, it takes part in vascular reactions, metabolic processes and maintaining body temperature, so its appearance often reflects the general state of the body.

When examining the skin, determining the degree of its moisture and elasticity is of paramount importance. An important role is played by color, rashes on the skin, etc.

During overheating of the body, physical overload, febrile conditions and critical drops in body temperature, the skin has high humidity – this is how the body adapts to adverse environmental conditions. One of the signs of Graves’ disease (thyroid disease) is increased sweating. A very unfavorable sign is profuse cold sweat, it may indicate sepsis, a severe drop in blood pressure, suffocation or myocardial infarction. A type of sweating is critical sweat that occurs with a rapid drop in body temperature, which is typical for patients with febrile conditions. The opposite situation is observed in case of insufficiency of the thyroid gland function, diseases of the arterial vessels of the extremities (endarteritis). In this case, dry skin is typical.

A sign of any disease may be blue skin, or cyanosis. The degree of severity of sychosity depends on the patient’s condition, its strengthening is a signal of deterioration or improvement of the patient’s condition. There are central and peripheral cyanosis.

With peripheral, the auricles, cheeks, lips, tip of the nose, fingers and toes, chin turn blue, which indicates a slowdown in blood circulation. When rubbing the earlobe, the sinusity decreases and even disappears. Sometimes when oxygen is inhaled, the blueness may decrease, but with physical exertion it always increases. This condition is typical for diseases of the cardiovascular system.

The central sinusity is uniform and spreads throughout the body. The reason for its appearance is a decrease in the body’s ability to absorb oxygen. Unlike the peripheral form, the limbs of a person remain warm. Diseases in which central cirrhosis occurs are chronic and proceed in a severe form: damage to the lungs by silicon dust, congenital heart defects, etc. The cirrhosis also occurs in case of poisoning with aniline derivatives, phenacetin, sulfanilamide drugs, etc.

Keep in mind that the appearance of any type of blueness requires immediate intensive treatment.

In some cases, the skin may become icteric. Jaundice is associated either with blockage of the bile ducts or with increased destruction of red blood cells, but sometimes occurs due to eating large amounts of carrots.

Some diseases are accompanied by skin itching. This symptom accompanies allergic diseases, blood diseases, kidney failure, diabetes mellitus.

The severity of the disease or the deterioration of a person’s condition is indicated by the appearance of subcutaneous hemorrhages. Such a symptom is a sign of blood diseases, infections, kidney or liver failure.

For bedridden patients, necrosis of soft tissues, or bedsores, is characteristic. Their appearance is associated with impaired blood circulation due to prolonged pressure. Usually bedsores appear in the sacrum, on the heels and shoulder blades. To avoid such problems, bedridden patients require special care, which consists in daily skin treatments with camphor alcohol, cologne (for the purpose of disinfection), washing after urination and defecation, keeping the body clean; the bed should be carefully straightened; during physiological functions, a person is given a special rubber duck. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the mucous membranes of a bedridden patient, treat them (wash the eyes with a sterile gauze swab moistened with a warm solution of furacilin, wipe the mucous membranes of the mouth with a solution of soda or boric acid, etc.).

Definition of the disease by signs: dehydration or excess fluid

In some cases, patients develop a deficiency or, conversely, an excess of fluid in the body. Both cases are undesirable.

How to identify diseases by external signs indicating dehydration?

A dehydrated patient has:

• thirst that does not stop when rinsing the mouth;
• decrease in skin elasticity;
• dryness in the inguinal and axillary areas;
• decrease in the tone of the eyeballs;
• acceleration of the heartbeat;
• dry tongue;
• lowering blood pressure;
• decrease in the amount of urine excreted – less than 500 ml of urine is excreted per day.

The elasticity of the skin is checked as follows: they take the skin of the abdomen into a fold with their fingers and release it. Normally, the fold is smoothed out quickly, with a decrease in elasticity – slowly.

Depending on the lack of water in the body, signs of dehydration are divided into degrees:

• I degree (fluid deficiency less than 1.5 liters) – a person complains of thirst;
• II degree (liquid deficiency 1.5-4 liters) – a person complains of severe thirst; there is dryness of the tongue, oral cavity, inguinal regions, armpits.
• III degree (fluid deficiency more than 4 liters) – a person complains of unbearable thirst. Urinary retention, weight loss are noted, the person is in a state of stupor. If timely assistance is not provided to him, death follows a coma.

Excess fluid in the body is manifested by edema. At the same time, the skin swells, the elasticity of the tissues decreases, the skin becomes pale or cyanotic.

Edema is:

• cardiac origin – develop slowly, dense in structure, accompanied by cyanosis, most often on the legs, back and lower back. Patients develop shortness of breath, so they take a forced standing position. The neck veins swell;
• allergic origin – Quincke’s edema. It appears on a limited area of ​​the body (usually on the face, hands, neck) almost instantly, accompanied by itching of the skin;
• renal origin – soft to the touch edema develops quickly, is located on the face or only on the eyelids, the skin over the edema area is pale;
• inflammatory origin – the skin around the edema is reddened, to the touch hotter than the surrounding tissues.

How to determine the disease by clinical signs: pulse and pressure

The state of the cardiovascular system at home can be assessed by measuring blood pressure and pulse.

Pulse measurement. The pulse is a periodic fluctuation in the volume of blood vessels. The study of the pulse is necessary to determine the rhythm, frequency, filling, size, tension and condition of the vessel wall. A pulse rate of 60-80 beats per minute is considered normal. The rhythm of the pulse corresponds to the contractions of the left ventricle of the heart.

An increase in heart rate is called tachycardia. Its causes may be a change in body temperature, an excited emotional state of a person. Tachycardia accompanies anemia, intoxication, and cardiovascular diseases.

Slow heart rate is called bradycardia. It is typical for patients with inflammatory lesions of the heart muscle, heart attacks, heart defects. The cause of its appearance can also be an increase in intracranial pressure, infection and intoxication.

By the pulse, you can determine diseases such as:

• extrasystole – after pulse waves, the magnitude of which is less than usual, followed by a long pause;
• respiratory arrhythmia – on inspiration, the pulse becomes more frequent, on exhalation – slower;
• atrial fibrillation – pulse waves of different sizes randomly follow each other;
• paradoxical pulse – during inspiration, the pulse wave is weakened.

A condition in which the number of heartbeats is greater than the number of pulse beats is called pulse deficit. Basically, a pulse deficit is characteristic of patients with atrial fibrillation and extrasystole. The work of the cardiovascular system is characterized by the tension of the pulse. It is determined by the resistance of the artery when pressed with a finger. If the pulse is weakened, then the work of the heart suffers.

Measurement of blood pressure. Blood pressure is measured using a tonometer. A cuff is placed on the shoulder, into which air is pumped. A phonendoscope is placed in the cubital fossa, in the place where the pulsation of the artery is felt. After that, the valve is slightly opened and air is released. Systolic (upper) pressure is determined at the first shocks heard through the phonendoscope. Diastolic (lower) pressure is recorded when the pulsation disappears.

The main alarming signs of the disease: respiratory pathology

Another alarming sign of the disease is respiratory pathology. In the process of respiration, oxygen is delivered to the tissues of the body and carbon dioxide is excreted. In a healthy person, the respiratory rate is 16-20 per minute. Pathology are the following types of breathing:

• Cheyne-Stokes breathing – characterized by cyclicity, alternation of deep breaths and respiratory arrest for a period of 1 to 2-3 minutes. During a stop, breaths are rare and superficial. Basically, such breathing is typical for patients with strokes, brain tumors, in a dying state;
• Biota respiration – characterized by a decrease in respiration with pauses between respiratory cycles (inhalation – exhalation). The duration of pauses ranges from a few seconds to half a minute;
• Kussmaul’s breathing is uniform, rapid, noisy, deep.

Many patients suffer from shortness of breath. There are several types of shortness of breath:

• inspiratory – inhalation is lengthened and difficult; breathing is accompanied by a noisy, whistling breath;
• expiratory – exhalation is difficult and lengthened;
• mixed – both phases of the respiratory act are difficult and lengthened.

In severe cases, with shortness of breath, breathing slows down, and coma occurs. Timely action can save the patient’s life.

A sharp weakening of breathing or its stop is called asphyxia. This stops gas exchange in the lungs and blood. Asphyxiation occurs due to mechanical obstacles to the entry of air into the lungs, gas exchange disorders due to diseases, etc.

Signs of gastrointestinal diseases

Signs of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are the appearance of unpleasant sensations in the mouth, heartburn, loss of appetite, pain, belching. Be sure to find out the following points to identify problems in the digestive tract:

• appetite: good, reduced, increased, perverted (aversion to a certain kind of food);
• satiety: normal, fast, constant feeling of hunger, fullness in the stomach, etc .;
• thirst: absent or intermittent; dry mouth – constant with quenching up to 10 liters per day or periodic;
• taste in the mouth: normal or bitter, sour, there is a taste of metal and other, loss of taste;
• belching: no or present (if present – periodic or constant) belching than: air, food, bitter, sour, rotten;
• heartburn: no or present; whether it is related to food intake, what foods cause, frequency, whether it happens at night, what is removed;
• nausea, if present, then constant or intermittent; the time of its occurrence, whether it is related to the intake and nature of food, whether vomiting is allowed;
• vomiting, if present, is it associated with previous nausea or is there no connection; the time of its occurrence is noted – before meals, during, after meals; character – taken or stagnant food, "coffee grounds", "meat slops", blood streaks, blood clots; does it bring relief;
• the pain syndrome is clarified in detail: the time of occurrence, the nature of pain (permanent or spastic), localization and irradiation, changes in the nature and localization of pain, their relationship with food intake;
• the nature of the stool is normal, constipation or diarrhea; formalized or liquid, the color of feces, the presence of mucus or streaks of blood in it; in the presence of bleeding – before or after stool, volume, type of blood.

Even the appearance of the patient speaks volumes. For example, significant weight loss and jaundice may indicate cholecystitis, accompanied by the formation of stones, or pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis is indicated by thinning of the subcutaneous tissue of the anterior abdominal wall in the left hypochondrium and microscopic enlarged vessels, similar to bright red rashes on the skin of the abdomen, chest and back. An increase in the abdomen may be associated with obesity, bloating, a large tumor.

If there is a large amount of water in the abdominal cavity (the so-called dropsy), the easily displaced liquid accumulates in the lower and lateral sections of the patient in the horizontal position, while the stomach flattens in the middle part (“frog” stomach).

When standing upright, fluid accumulates in the lower abdomen, which begins to protrude in the lower sections and takes the form of a half-filled sac. With severe dropsy, the navel protrudes.

The bulging of the abdomen in the upper part occurs with an increase in the liver, pancreatic cyst.

Diffuse bloating is possible with dyskinesia of the gastrointestinal tract.

The retracted navicular abdomen is characteristic of a sharp exhaustion or a strong spastic contraction of the muscles of the abdominal wall.

Retraction of the abdomen in some areas occurs when the stomach is prolapsed, a limited protrusion of the abdominal wall is noted with hernias of the white line, umbilical, inguinal.

How can you identify the disease by feces

You can determine the disease by feces, for this you need to examine the feces. The mass of feces excreted per day with a normal mixed diet normally ranges from 150 to 200 g.

Normally, feces are cylindrical in shape, 2-4 cm thick, and dense in texture. It is painted in various shades of brown, which depends on the nature of the food. After ingestion of dairy food, the color of the feces may be light brown, even yellow. After eating meat products, it becomes dark brown, vegetable food – greenish (from sorrel, spinach) or reddish (from beets). Dense brown-black feces occur after taking blueberries, black currants, coffee, bismuth and iron preparations.

The consistency and color of feces in pathological conditions change. When the passage of contents through the colon is accelerated or dysbacteriosis develops, the feces become golden yellow, with fermentative dyspepsia – yellow with a sharp sour smell. White or grayish-white feces are characteristic of violations of the outflow of bile and viral hepatitis. The grayish-yellow color of the feces indicates insufficient production of pancreatic juice. Tar-like black stools appear when bleeding from the esophagus, stomach or duodenum. Chronic ulcerative colitis is characterized by liquid stools with dense lumps, with clotted blood, mucus and pus. Scarlet blood in the stool is detected in patients with hemorrhoids or rectal sphincter fissures. With enterocolitis, undigested food residues appear in the feces. People who chew food poorly in feces you can find large remains of vegetables, fruits, seeds. Discolored stools indicate blockage of the common bile duct by a stone.

Aromatic substances such as skatole, indole, phenol and others determine the nature of the smell of stool. With protein foods, the smell is sharper, it becomes fetid with putrefactive dyspepsia. The smell of feces is weaker with the use of vegetable and dairy products and becomes sour with fermentative dyspepsia.

How to determine the disease by feces when examining feces? Pathological impurities of non-food origin include blood, pus and mucus. The detection of blood indicates a violation of the integrity of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Pus in the feces is found in dysentery, ulcerative colitis, tuberculosis of the colon, and the collapse of a tumor of the colon. Mucus is normally not detected. When mucus is excreted from the small intestine or the upper sections of the large intestine, it is mixed with feces, from the lower section of the large intestine it lies on the surface of the stool.

Visually, parasites (roundworms, pinworms, less often whipworm), individual segments of tapeworms can be detected in the feces.

Vomiting as a sign of illness

Also a sign of the disease is vomiting, it can be of the following types:

• morning, or vomiting on an empty stomach;
• early (shortly after eating);
• late (a few hours after eating);
• night;
• cyclic, not associated with the reception of food.

Depending on the nature of the masses, vomiting is distinguished as:

• vomiting of freshly eaten food;
• vomiting food that has been eaten for a long time (congestive vomiting);
• bilious vomiting;
• bloody vomiting;
• fecal vomiting;
• purulent vomiting, etc.

Undigested pieces of food in the vomit indicate a sharp decrease in the acidity of gastric juice. The putrid smell of vomit can be observed with decaying stomach cancer, the smell of alcohol – with alcohol poisoning. Fecal vomiting is characteristic of intestinal obstruction. Hematemesis indicates bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. This condition always requires urgent measures.

With prolonged contact of blood with hydrochloric acid in the stomach, vomit acquires the color and appearance of coffee grounds.

Almost always in the masses with severe vomiting there is bile. The abundance of bile in the vomit is observed with peptic ulcer, narrowing of the duodenum.