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 the eye) [skin changes such as circumscribed redness; exsiccosis (dehydration)]
- Abdomen (abdomen)
- Shape of the abdomen?
- Skin color? Skin texture?
- Efflorescences (skin changes)?
- Pulsations? Bowel movements?
- Visible vessels?
- Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
- Inspection (viewing) and palpation (palpation) of the thyroid gland [due todifferential diagnosis: hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism)].
- Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?) [abdominal pain (abdominal pain), dull or colicky; meteorism (flatulence)]
- Digital rectal examination (DRU): examination of the rectum (rectum) [proctitis (rectal inflammation)]
- Inspection (viewing).
- Cancer screening [colon polyps?, colon carcinoma (colon cancer)?]
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
