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; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin, mucous membranes, pharynx (throat), and sclera (white part of the eye) [Caesarean neck (swelling of the throat); gray-white coating on the pharyngeal mucosa] [due todifferential diagnoses: angina tonsillaris (inflammation of the lymphatic ring of the throat); herpes infection; mumps; scarlet fever].
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart.
- Auscultation (listening) of the lungs [stridor (whistling breathing sound)] [due topossible sequelae: dyspnea (shortness of breath)].
- Inspection (viewing).
- If necessary, neurological examination [due topossible sequelae: Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain); cerebral infarction; polyneuritis (inflammation of multiple nerves)]
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
