Osler's nodes are painful,

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

, raised

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no de ...

s found typically on the hands and feet. They are associated with a number of conditions, including

infective endocarditis Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner surface of the heart (endocardium), usually the heart valve, valves. Signs and symptoms may include fever, petechia, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and anem ...

, and are caused by

immune complex An immune complex, sometimes called an antigen-antibody complex or antigen-bound antibody, is a molecule formed from the binding of multiple antigens to antibodies. The bound antigen and antibody act as a unitary object, effectively an antigen of ...

deposition. Their presence is one definition of Osler's sign. __TOC__

Causes

Osler's nodes result from the deposition of

es. The resulting

inflammatory response Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

leads to swelling, redness, and pain that characterize these lesions. The nodes are commonly indicative of

subacute bacterial endocarditis Subacute bacterial endocarditis, abbreviated SBE, is a type of endocarditis (more specifically, infective endocarditis). Subacute bacterial endocarditis can be considered a form of type III hypersensitivity. Signs and symptoms Among the signs of ...

. 10–25% of endocarditis patients will have Osler's nodes. Other signs of endocarditis include

Roth's spot Roth's spots, also known as Litten spots or the Litten sign, are non-specific red lesions with white or pale centres, seen on the retina of the eye and although traditionally associated with infective endocarditis, can occur in a number of other ...

s and

Janeway lesion Janeway lesions are rare, non- tender, small erythematous or haemorrhagic macular, papular or nodular lesions on the palms or soles only a few millimeters in diameter that are associated with infective endocarditis and often indistinguishabl ...

s. The latter, which also occur on the palms and soles, can be differentiated from Osler's nodes because they are non-tender. Osler's nodes can also be seen in *

Systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...

Marantic endocarditis Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a form of endocarditis in which small sterile vegetations are deposited on the valve leaflets. Formerly known as marantic endocarditis, which comes from the Greek , meaning "wasting away". The term ...

* Disseminated gonococcal infection * Distal to infected arterial

catheter In medicine, a catheter ( ) is a thin tubing (material), tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. ...

Etymology

Osler's nodes are named after Sir

William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first Residency (medicine), residency program for speci ...

who described them in the early twentieth century. He described them as "ephemeral spots of a painful nodular erythema, chiefly in the skin of the hands and feet."

References

{{Cardiovascular system symptoms and signs Symptoms and signs: Cardiac William Osler