Medical history represents an important component in the diagnosis of portal hypertension (portal hypertension, portal hypertension).
Family history
- Is there a high incidence of liver disease in your family?
Social history
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- What symptoms have you noticed?
- How long have these changes been present?
- Do you often feel tired or fatigued?
- Have you noticed any changes in the skin?
- Do you have visible dilations of tortuous veins (venae paraumbilicales) in the area of the navel?
- Do you have pain in the upper abdomen? If so, when?
- Do you suffer from loss of appetite?
- Have you noticed an increased tendency to bleed?
- Have you noticed yellowing of the skin and eyes?
- Do you have increased itching?
- Have you noticed any changes in the skin or nails?
- Dupuytren’s contractures (synonyms: Dupuytren’s contracture, Dupuytren’s disease) – nodular, cord-like hardening of the palmar aponeurosis (tendon plate in the palm, which is the continuation of the tendon of the long palmar muscle) with an increase in dermal connective tissue, which can lead to a flexion contracture of the finger joints (fingers are forced to bend and can only be stretched again with difficulty or not at all).
- Banknote skin (synonym: dollar bill skin) – reminiscent of banknotes, characterized by innumerable finest vascular dilatation.
- Skin atrophy with telangiectasias (visible dilations of superficially located smallest blood vessels).
- Lacquer lips (smooth, lacquer red lips)
- Lacquer tongue (especially red and uncoated tongue).
- Palmar erythema (red coloration of the palms).
- Plantar erythema (red coloration of the soles of the feet).
- Spider naevi (liver starlets) – small, star-shaped converging vessels on the upper body and face.
- White nails (lunula/white area of the nail shaped like a crescent – no longer delineable).
- Have you noticed blood in your stool? If so:
- When did you notice the bleeding?
- Does the bleeding exist continuously?
- What does the bleeding look like?
- Dark blood?*
- Light blood?*
- Blood mixed with the stool?*
- Blood accumulation on the stool?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Do you drink alcohol? If so, what drink(s) and how many glasses per day?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (liver disease, diseases of the circulatory system such as thrombosis).
- Operations
- Allergies
- Environmental history
* If this question has been answered with “Yes”, an immediate visit to the doctor is required! (Information without guarantee)
