[Skin changes as a characteristic of internal diseases]

Skin changes as a characteristic of internal diseases Abstract. Numerous skin changes are of great importance, as they can be groundbreaking for basic internal diseases or indicate associated complications or side effects of therapies. The early detection of such marker manifestations allows immediate action to prevent potentially serious consequences. For example, specific skin changes in limited forms of collagenosis may not only be diagnostically significant, but also prognostically significant, which allows gentler therapies if the course of the disease is more favourable. The most important prerequisite for a correct diagnosis of cutaneous lesions is a careful and complete skin status with additional consideration of the adjacent mucous membranes and skin appendages. In a first step, the primary anatomical site, morphology and lesion location should be identified and then the distribution assessed. This article describes more frequent skin manifestations in diseases of different organ systems (with the exception of infections, less frequent metabolic disorders and drug side effects).