Osler's node
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:For Template:Infobox medical condition
Osler's nodes are painful, red, raised lesions found typically on the hands and feet.<ref name=Parashar2022>Template:Cite journal</ref> They are associated with a number of conditions, including infective endocarditis, and are caused by immune complex deposition. Their presence is one definition of Osler's sign.<ref>Template:DorlandsDict</ref>
CausesEdit
Osler's nodes result from the deposition of immune complexes.<ref name="pmid947688">Template:Cite journal</ref> The resulting inflammatory response leads to swelling, redness, and pain that characterize these lesions.
The nodes are commonly indicative of subacute bacterial endocarditis.<ref>Template:DorlandsDict</ref> 10–25% of endocarditis patients will have Osler's nodes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other signs of endocarditis include Roth's spots and Janeway lesions. The latter, which also occur on the palms and soles, can be differentiated from Osler's nodes because they are non-tender.<ref name="pmid947688" />
Osler's nodes can also be seen in
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Marantic endocarditis
- Disseminated gonococcal infection
- Distal to infected arterial catheter
EtymologyEdit
Osler's nodes are named after Sir William Osler who described them in the early twentieth century.<ref>Template:WhoNamedIt</ref><ref name="Osler">Template:Cite journal</ref> He described them as "ephemeral spots of a painful nodular erythema, chiefly in the skin of the hands and feet."<ref name=Parashar2022/>