A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin, mucous membranes and sclerae (white part of the eye) [acrodermatitis – inflammatory skin disease of the body’s end limbs such as fingers and toes].
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart.
- Auscultation of the lungs
- Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?) [meteorism (bloated abdomen)]
- Inspection (viewing).
- Health check
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.