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) of skin and mucous membranes [wg.
- Sweating, warm and moist skin
- Palmar erythema – red coloration of the palms.
- Tremor (shaking)
- Endocrine orbitopathy (EO, protrusion of the eyeballs).
- Alopecia (hair loss, diffuse).
- Acropachy (bone thickening (due to subperiosteal bone apposition) with concomitant soft tissue thickening (painless; normal temperament) at the finger and toe end phalanges (I-III)).
- Dermopathy (skin changes similar to an orange peel, mostly on the lower legs).
- Gynecomastia (enlargement of the mammary gland in men).
- Goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland)]
- Inspection and palpation (palpation) of the thyroid gland and cervical lymph nodes – Note: Hyperthyroidism causes an increase in blood flow to the thyroid gland. This can lead to a buzzing or flow noise over the thyroid gland.
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart [tachycardia (heartbeat too fast: > 100 beats per minute), atrial fibrillation (VHF) (possible sequelae)].
- Inspection (viewing) of skin and mucous membranes [wg.
- Ophthalmological examination (due topossible sequelae: Corneal damage due to dehydration in the absence / incomplete eyelid closure, optic nerve compression (high pressure on the optic nerve can lead to visual impairment or blindness)).
- Health check
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
