Pallor

Table of Contents • • • • • • • • Synonyms: Paleness Definition of Pallor Pallor is the paleness of skin and mucous membranes, due to the reduced amount of oxyhemoglobin or decreased peripheral perfusion. Sites to look for pallor • Lower palpebral conjunctiva • Tip and dorsum of the tongue • Soft palate • Nail beds • Palmar or plantar creases • General body skin Pallor in lower palpebral conjunctiva: A. Technique of exminaing for pallor in lower palpebral conjunctiva B. Normal conjunctiva (Note the demarcation shown by arrow) C. Pale conjunctiva (Loss of demarcation) How (Technique)? Pull the lower eyelid down and compare the color of anterior part of the palpebral conjunctiva (attached to the inner surface of the eyelid) with the posterior part where it reflects off the sclera. There is usually a marked difference between the distinctly red anterior and pearly white posterior parts. This difference is absent when significant anemia is present. 1 Examination Medicine By Nicholas Joseph Talley, Simon O’Connor Use both your thumb to retract eyelids downward on both the sides simultaneously and as you do so, ask the patient to look upwards. Why(Reason)? The mucosa over this region is very thin and the underlying vessels are clearly seen and the pallor can be judged. Pallor in palms: How? As the patient to hyper-extend the fingers. Compare the color of palmar crease with that of the adjacent skin of palm. Pallor is said to be present if both are of same color. Different studie...

Anemia is defined as a hemoglobin level of less than the 5th percentile for age. Causes vary by age. Most children with anemia are asymptomatic, and the condition is detected on screening laboratory evaluation. Screening is recommended only for high-risk children. Anemia is classified as microcytic, normocytic, or macrocytic, based on the mean corpuscular volume. Mild microcytic anemia may be treated presumptively with oral iron therapy in children six to 36 months of age who have risk factors for iron deficiency anemia. If the anemia is severe or is unresponsive to iron therapy, the patient should be evaluated for gastrointestinal blood loss. Other tests used in the evaluation of microcytic anemia include serum iron studies, lead levels, and hemoglobin electrophoresis. Normocytic anemia may be caused by chronic disease, hemolysis, or bone marrow disorders. Workup of normocytic anemia is based on bone marrow function as determined by the reticulocyte count. If the reticulocyte count is elevated, the patient should be evaluated for blood loss or hemolysis. A low reticulocyte count suggests aplasia or a bone marrow disorder. Common tests used in the evaluation of macrocytic anemias include vitamin B 12 and folate levels, and thyroid function testing. A peripheral smear can provide additional information in patients with anemia of any morphology. Anemia is usually classified based on the size of RBCs, as measured by the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Anemia can be microcytic ...

A 59-year-old man presented for a comprehensive eye examination with a chief complaint of blurry vision in both eyes. His medical history was significant for hypertension and type 2 diabetes, which were both medically controlled. His blood pressure measured 140/84mm Hg, and his last HbA1c level was 7.5%. A review of his eye care records revealed a history of bilateral optic nerve head pallor. At visits approximately one and two years earlier, we noted that the patient had pale optic discs in both eyes, as well as constricted visual fields and mildly reduced visual acuity OU. Although we recommended further evaluation on both occasions, the patient did not follow through with testing. 1. Central 30-2 visual fields results of our 59-year-old patient. Both the inferior and nasal aspects are severely depressed OU (OD top, OS bottom). 2. Dilated funduscopy revealed bilateral optic nerve head pallor (OD left, OS right). What further testing should we consider ? At this visit, his best-corrected visual acuity was 20/25 OU. His pupils were reactive (although sluggish) OU, with no evidence of afferent defect. Ocular motilities were unrestricted. Confrontation visual fields showed significant constriction OU, with severe limitations inferiorly. Threshold perimetry quantified the field loss (figure 1). Biomicroscopy was unremarkable OU. His intraocular pressure measured 19mm Hg OU. Dilated fundus examination revealed pale optic discs in both eyes, with shallow cupping and slight arte...

Pallor 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Billable/Specific Code • R23.1 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. • The 2023 edition of ICD-10-CM R23.1 became effective on October 1, 2022. • This is the American ICD-10-CM version of R23.1 - other international versions of ICD-10 R23.1 may differ. In this context, annotation back-references refer to codes that contain: • Applicable To annotations, or • Code Also annotations, or • Code First annotations, or • Excludes1 annotations, or • Excludes2 annotations, or • Includes annotations, or • Note annotations, or • Use Additional annotations that may be applicable to R23.1: • Note • This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded. • Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptom...

Contents • 1 Disease Entity • 1.1 Etiology • 1.2 Risk Factors • 1.3 General Pathology • 1.4 Primary prevention • 2 Diagnosis • 2.1 History • 2.2 Physical examination • 2.3 Signs • 2.4 Symptoms • 2.5 Clinical diagnosis • 2.6 Diagnostic procedures • 2.7 Laboratory test • 2.8 Differential diagnosis • 3 Management • 3.1 Prognosis • 4 Additional Resources • 5 References Disease Entity Optic atrophy refers to the death of the retinal ganglion cell axons that comprise the optic nerve with the resulting picture of a pale optic nerve on fundoscopy. Optic atrophy is an end stage that arises from myriad causes of optic nerve damage anywhere along the path from the retina to the lateral geniculate. Since the optic nerve transmits retinal information to the brain, optic atrophy is associated with vision loss. Optic atrophy is somewhat of a misnomer as atrophy implies disuse, and thus optic nerve damage is better termed optic neuropathy. Etiology Anything that can compromise ganglion cell function can cause (over time) optic atrophy (and more broadly optic neuropathy). Optic atrophy can occur due to damage within the eye (glaucoma, optic neuritis, papilledema, etc.), along the path of the optic nerve to the brain (tumor, neurodegenerative disorder, trauma, etc.), or it can be congenital (Leber’s hereditary optic atrophy, autosomal dominant optic atrophy). Risk Factors Risk factors run the gamut from increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma), ischemia, compression (tumors), inflammation,...

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***. Skin color is the result of various genetic traits that are pretty unique to the individual. Different shades, pigments, or complexions can be seen even among groups of people sharing the same racial background. A brother and sister with the same set of parents may have completely different skin types. Heck, even twins may have different skin tones. That being said, from time to time, all of us may get a little pale. Sometimes, we may not even notice it. But, what causes pale skin? What causes skin pallor? In this article, we’ll take a look at pale skin and, hopefully, give you some tips on how to safely get a little more color in there. We’ll also examine pale skin causes, pale skin symptoms, and even some pale skin remedies. With any luck, after reading this article, you’ll be able to not only recognize when you’re a little pale, but also be able to do something about it. What Causes Skin Pallor? If you’ve noticed unusually pale skin lately, you may wonder, “Why is my skin pale?” As it turns out, there are multiple pallor causes. Some of the causes are everyday causes and other causes of pale skin can be due to medical, environmental, and other factors. A number of these causes can be temporary, but there are other causes of paleness that can be long lasting. 1. Everyday Causes Low Temperatures Going out into extreme, low-temperature weather can cause the skin to become pale. This is due to ...

• • • • Pallor is a key indicator of • Iron-deficiency • • Aplastic anemia (a condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells) • • Arterial occlusion (a circulatory condition in which blocked or narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs) • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (a rare disorder in which the person’s immune system attacks their • Bleeding • Chemical poisoning • Chronic diseases including infection and • Diamond–Blackfan syndrome (a condition that primarily affects the bone marrow) • • • • Fanconi anemia (a rare • Fear or panic reaction • • • • Lack of sun exposure • Low environmental temperature • • • Malnutrition • Medication side effects • • Problems with the circulatory system • Respiratory failure • Severe • • • • Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) (a blood disorder that results in • Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC) (slowly developing anemia that occurs in early childhood) • • Vitamin B12 deficiency What is pallor? Pallor, derived from the Latin pallere, meaning “to be pale,” is a medical sign related to several health conditions. Paleness of the skin indicates an atypical lightening of the skin or mucous membranes. • Inner surface or lining of the eyelids • Inside of the mouth • The surface of the tongue • Lips • Palms Pallor and albinism shouldn’t be confused, as the latter have a loss of skin pigmentation (melanin). How does the physician diagnose pallor? The physician will perform a physical examination of t...