Gastrointestinal Disease

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General Signs of Gastrointestinal Disease
Feature of gastrointestinal disease may be evident on general examination. Particular note must be taken of the hands for clubbing, a clue to malabsorption or chronic liver impariment, and for palmar erythema and leukonychia which indicate liver disease. Other general signs which point to a diagnosis of liver disease include jaundice, spider naevi, gynaecomastia, loss of secondary sexual hair, testicular atrophy and parotid swelling. Pruitis and scratch made should suggest chronic cholestasis. A facial appearance resembling Cushing's syndrome may also be found which chronic alcohol abuse. Inflammatory bowel disease often presents with extra-intestinal manifestations, e.g, arthritis, especially in the large joints, uvitis and skin rashes, including erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum. The nutritional state of patient must be carefully assessed since, if food intake is normal, this is an index of the functional integrity of the gastrointestinal tract.

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