Osler's nodes are painful, red, raised lesions found 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, usually the valves. Signs and symptoms may include fever, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and low red blood cell count. Complications ...
, 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.
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Causes
Osler's nodes result from the deposition of
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 ...
es.
The resulting
inflammatory response
Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molecu ...
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 spots with white or pale centres, seen on the retina and although traditionally associated with infective endocarditis, can occur in a number of other conditions incl ...
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 indistinguishable fro ...
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, technically known as 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. Comm ...
*
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
''Neisseria gonorrhoeae'', also known as ''gonococcus'' (singular), or ''gonococci'' (plural), is a species of Gram-negative diplococci bacteria isolated by Albert Neisser in 1879. It causes the sexually transmitted genitourinary infection gon ...
infection
* Distal to infected arterial
catheter
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 spec ...
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
Symptoms and signs: Cardiac
William Osler
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