A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, body weight, body height; furthermore:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae (white part of eye) [night sweats; pale skin color].
- Lymph node stations (cervical, axillary, supraclavicular, inguinal) [lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement)?]
- Abdomen (abdomen):
- Shape of the abdomen?
- Skin color? Skin texture?
- Efflorescences (skin changes)?
- Pulsations? Bowel movements?
- Visible vessels?
- Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
- Genital [painless, usually unilateral swelling of the testis.]
- Extremities [pain (especially in legs; “child may not walk”); bone pain; arthralgia (joint pain)]
- Palpation (palpation) of lymph node stations (cervical, axillary, supraclavicular, inguinal) [lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement)?]
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due topossible secondary disease: cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)]
- Auscultation of the lungs [dyspnea (shortness of breath)]
- Abdominal examination [hepatosplenomegaly (liver and spleen enlargement)?]
- Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen.
- Meteorism (flatulence): hypersonoric tapping sound.
- Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
- Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimate liver and spleen size.
- Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?).
- Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen.
- Inspection (viewing).
- If necessary, urological / nephrological examination [due topossible sequelae: renal insufficiency / uremia (kidney weakness / kidney failure)].
- Health check (as an additional follow-up measure).
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
