[Significance of skin manifestations in current medical diagnosis]

Skin lesions may signify not only cutaneous diseases, but also pathological changes of inner organs or standing of systemic diseases. The cutaneous symptoms characteristically associated with internal diseases are known as dermatodromes. The author analyzes the general impact of these on up-to-date medical diagnostic work, with special regard to their unique role in the early diagnosis of many important organic diseases, as well as to their significance for disease prognosis and therapy.