Charcot's triad
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) |
Charcot's triad refers to two separate sets of three signs each discovered by Jean-Martin Charcot. Each set of three relates includes its own three signs, and each of them relate to separate diseases. One pertains to multiple sclerosis while the other refers to ascending cholangitis. Charcot's triads are named for Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), the French neurologist who first described the combinations of signs in relation to these diseases.
[edit] Types
One set of three signs, making up one of the two different Charcot's triads, is an indication of cholangitis and includes RUQ pain, jaundice and Fever, usually with rigors. A related finding is Reynolds' pentad. It refers to an infection of the ducts of the biliary tree. The most common causative organism is E. coli.
The other set of three signs, making up the other of the two different Charcot's triads, relates to multiple sclerosis and includes intention tremor, dysarthria (Scanning or staccato speech), and nystagmus.
 |
This medical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
