Blood & Lymph Signs

Signs of the blood and lymph systems: the vein-clot signs of the leg, bleeding into the skin, enlarged glands and spleen, and the nail and tongue changes of anaemia and vitamin deficiency.

This page lists all 18 of them in the guide. Open any sign for how it is elicited, what it suggests, and its eponym story where it has one.

Sign	System	A positive finding is associated with
Bancroft's sign	Blood & Lymph	Traditionally associated with deep vein thrombosis; unreliable on its own.
Generalised lymphadenopathy	Blood & Lymph	Associated with systemic causes such as viral infections (including glandular fever and HIV), lymphoma, leukaemia and autoimmune disease.
Gum hypertrophy	Blood & Lymph	Associated with infiltration of the gums in certain leukaemias (especially acute monocytic leukaemia), and also with some medicines and poor dental hygiene.
Homan's sign	Blood & Lymph	Traditionally associated with deep vein thrombosis of the calf, but it is unreliable — it is often present without a clot and absent with one — so modern diagnosis relies on scoring systems, D-dimer and ultrasound.
Hunter's glossitis	Blood & Lymph	Associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, as in pernicious anaemia.
Koilonychia	Blood & Lymph	Associated with iron deficiency; also seen as a normal variant in young children.
Moses' sign	Blood & Lymph	Traditionally associated with deep vein thrombosis of the calf; like other calf signs, it is unreliable on its own.
Palpable spleen tip	Blood & Lymph	Associated with causes of splenomegaly, including blood cancers, portal hypertension, infections such as malaria and glandular fever, and storage diseases.
Payr's sign	Blood & Lymph	Traditionally associated with deep vein thrombosis in the leg; unreliable on its own.
Petechiae and purpura	Blood & Lymph	Associated with low platelet counts, platelet or clotting disorders, vasculitis, and serious infections such as meningococcal sepsis, where they are an emergency sign.
Pica	Blood & Lymph	Associated with iron deficiency, and also seen in pregnancy and some developmental conditions.
Pratt's sign	Blood & Lymph	Associated with deep vein thrombosis of the leg.
Rumpel–Leede test	Blood & Lymph	Associated with capillary fragility — used historically for scarlet fever and still used as a bedside aid in dengue; also seen with low platelets and scurvy.
Splinter haemorrhages	Blood & Lymph	Most often caused by minor trauma, but associated in the right setting with infective endocarditis and vasculitis.
Sternal tenderness	Blood & Lymph	Associated with expansion of the bone marrow in some leukaemias; also occurs with local injury and inflammation.
Trousseau's sign of malignancy	Blood & Lymph	Associated with an underlying internal cancer, classically of the pancreas, stomach or lung, driving a clotting tendency.
Unilateral calf swelling	Blood & Lymph	Associated with deep vein thrombosis, though also with ruptured Baker's cyst, muscle injury and infection.
Virchow's triad	Blood & Lymph	A framework associated with the development of venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism).

Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.

Blood & Lymph Signs

Medical Videos

Explore

Calculators

Company