View source for Russell's sign

{{Infobox medical condition
 |name          =
 |synonym       =
 |image         = Russell's Sign.png
 |image_size    = 200px
 |alt           =
 |caption       =
 |pronounce     =
 |specialty     = <!--from Wikidata; can be overwritten-->
 |symptoms      =
 |complications =
 |onset         =
 |duration      =
 |types         =
 |causes        = The most common causes of Russell’s sign are bulimia, purging disorder, and anorexia nervosa.
 |risks         =
 |diagnosis     = Russell's sign can be used as a factor to diagnose bulimia nervosa, purging disorder, or anorexia nervosa
 |differential  = Indirect sign of bulimia nervosa, purging disorder, or anorexia nervosa
 |prevention    =
 |treatment     =
 |medication    =
 |prognosis     =
 |frequency     =
 |deaths        = While Russell’s sign in of itself has not caused any deaths, it is a sign of potentially deadly disorders such as bulimia nervosa, purging disorder, and anorexia nervosa.
}}
'''Russell's sign''', named after British psychiatrist [[Gerald Russell]], is a [[sign (medical)|sign]]<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Tyler I, Birmingham CL |title=The interrater reliability of physical signs in patients with eating disorders |journal=Int J Eat Disord |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=343–5 |date=November 2001 |pmid=11767717 |doi=10.1002/eat.1094 }}</ref> defined as [[calluses]] on the [[knuckle]]s<ref name="pmid15943493">{{cite journal |author=Strumia R |title=Dermatologic signs in patients with eating disorders |journal=Am J Clin Dermatol |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=165–73 |year=2005 |pmid=15943493 |doi=10.2165/00128071-200506030-00003 |s2cid=42761798 |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.2165/00128071-200506030-00003 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209123017/http://content.wkhealth.com/linkback/openurl?issn=1175-0561&volume=6&issue=3&spage=165 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-09 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> or back of the hand due to repeated self-induced [[vomiting]] over long periods of time.  The condition generally arises from the patient's knuckles making contact with the [[incisor]] teeth during the act of inducing the [[gag reflex]] at the back of the [[throat]] with their finger(s).<ref name="10.1046_j.1365-4362.2000.00924.x">{{cite journal | last=Glorio | first=Roberto | last2=Allevato | first2=Miguel | last3=De Pablo | first3=Ana | last4=Abbruzzese | first4=Mario | last5=Carmona | first5=Luz | last6=Savarin | first6=Mario | last7=Ibarra | first7=Monica | last8=Busso | first8=Corina | last9=Mordoh | first9=Ana | last10=Llopis | first10=Carolina | last11=Haas | first11=Roxana | last12=Bello | first12=Mabel | last13=Woscoff | first13=Alberto | title=Prevalence of cutaneous manifestations in 200 patients with eating disorders | journal=International Journal of Dermatology | volume=39 | issue=5 | date=2000 | issn=0011-9059 | doi=10.1046/j.1365-4362.2000.00924.x |pmid=10849124 | pages=348–353}}</ref>

This type of scarring is considered one of the physical indicators of a [[mental illness]], and Russell's sign is primarily found in patients with an [[eating disorder]] such as [[bulimia nervosa]], [[purging disorder]], or [[anorexia nervosa]].  It is almost always associated with eating disorders and is the most characteristic skin condition indicative of purging.<ref name=pmid15943493 /><ref name=pmid25093783>{{cite journal|doi=10.1176/appi.neuropsych.13060127 |title=Russell's Sign in Persistent Delusional Disorder: A Case Report |date=2014 |last1=Manoharan |first1=Senthil Vel Rajan Rajaram |last2=Behere |first2=Rishikesh V. |last3=Praharaj |first3=Samir Kumar |last4=Kongasseri |first4=Sreejayan |last5=Sharma |first5=P.S.V.N. |journal=The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=E4–E5 |pmid=25093783 }}</ref>

People who are capable of "handsfree purging", or the induction of vomiting by the willful opening of the esophageal sphincter in a manner similar to belching, while contracting the stomach muscles, do not have Russell's sign. People who use a fork, spoon, or foreign object to stimulate the gag reflex may not display Russell's sign.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Cognition, perception, emotional state and behaviour symptoms and signs}}

[[Category:Eating disorders]]
[[Category:Hand]]
[[Category:Symptoms and signs of mental disorders]]


{{med-sign-stub}}