# List of medical triads, tetrads, and pentads

A medical triad is a group of three signs or symptoms, the result of injury to three organs, which characterise a specific medical condition. The appearance of all three signs conjoined together in another patient, points to that the patient has the same medical condition, or diagnosis. A medical tetrad is a group of four, while a pentad is a group of five.

## Triads

| Name | Triad | Disease |
| Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture Triad | hypotension, pulsatile abdominal mass, flank pain | Abdominal aortic aneurysm |
| Achalasia Triad | increased lower esophageal sphincter (LES) tone, decreased LES relaxation, aperistalsis | Achalasia |
| Allergic Triad | Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis), Allergic Rhinitis, bronchitis | Atopy or Atopic Triad |
| Alkaptonuria Triad | Ochronotic arthritis, Ochronotic pigmentation, Urine darkens on standing | Alkaptonuria |
| Amyand's Triad | Amyand's hernia, Appendicitis, Undescended testis | |
| Anderson Triad | Subcutaneous emphysema, rapid respirations, and abdominal rigidity | Esophageal rupture (likely intra-abdominal) |
| Austrian syndrome Triad | Pneumonia, Endocarditis, Meningitis (all caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae) | Austrian syndrome |
| Beck's triad | Muffled heart sound, Distended neck veins, Hypotension | Cardiac tamponade |
| Budd–Chiari syndrome | abdominal pain, ascites, hepatomegaly | Budd–Chiari syndrome |
| Charcot's cholangitis triad | Right Upper Quadrant Pain, Fever, Jaundice | Ascending cholangitis |
| Charcot's neurologic triad | scanning speech, intention tremor, nystagmus | Multiple sclerosis |
| Triad of congenital toxoplasmosis | chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications | Congenital toxoplasmosis |
| Triad of congenital rubella | cataracts, patent ductus arteriosus, sensorineural hearing loss | Congenital rubella |
| Congestive Heart Failure Triad | Tachycardia, Tachypnea, Tender hepatomegaly | Congestive heart failure |
| Cushing's triad of Increased Intracranial Pressure | Bradycardia, Bradypnea, Hypertension | Head injuries |
| Danny's Triad | Painful urination, testicular pain, diarrhea | Chlamydia |
| Dieulafoy's triad | hyperesthesia of the skin, exquisite tenderness and guarding over McBurney's point | Acute appendicitis |
| Dietl's crisis | Renal colic, swelling in loin which disappears after urination | Hydronephrosis |
| Fanconi syndrome triad | Aminoaciduria, Proteinuria, Phosphaturia | Fanconi syndrome |
| Female athlete triad | eating disorders, amenorrhoea, decreased bone mineral density | Relative energy deficiency in sport |
| Felty triad | Rheumatoid arthritis, neutropenia, splenomegaly | Rheumatoid arthritis complication |
| Goodpasture syndrome Triad | Glomerulonephritis, pulmonary hemorrhage, presence of anti-GBM antibodies | Goodpasture syndrome |
| Gradenigos Triad | Sixth cranial n. Palsy, Persistent ear discharge, Deep seated retro orbital pain | Gradenigo's syndrome |
| Graves Disease Triad | Goiter, exophthalmos, pretibial myxedema | Graves' disease |
| Triad of opioid overdose | Respiratory depression, pinpoint pupils, CNS depression | Opioid overdose |
| Triad of granulomatosis with polyangiitis | Focal necrotizing vasculitis, necrotizing granulomas in the lung and upper airway, necrotizing glomerulonephritis | Granulomatosis with polyangiitis |
| Hakim Triad (Adams Triad) | Urinary incontinence, Gait disturbance, Dementia | Normal pressure hydrocephalus |
| Triad (Triad of Sandblom) | Malena, Obstructive jaundice, Biliary colic | Hemobilia |
| Triad of Meigs' Syndrome | ascites, pleural effusion, benign ovarian tumor | Meigs' syndrome |
| Hemolytic–Uremic Syndrome Triad | Anaemia, Thrombocytopenia, Kidney failure (But see Pentad of TTP below) | Hemolytic–uremic syndrome |
| Horner's Syndrome Triad | ptosis (eyelid), miosis, anhydrosis | Horner's syndrome |
| Hutchinson's triad | Hutchison's teeth, Interstitial keratitis, Nerve deafness | Congenital syphilis |
| Kartagener Syndrome Triad | Triad of bronchiectasis, Recurrent sinusitis, and, Situs inversus, | Kartagener syndrome |
| Leriche's syndrome Triad | Triad of bilateral hip, thigh, and buttock claudication, impotence, and symmetric atrophy of the bilateral lower extremities due to chronic ischemia | Leriche's syndrome |
| Mackler's triad | vomiting, pain and subcutaneous emphysema | Boerhaave syndrome |
| Three C's of Measles | cough, coryza, conjunctivitis | Measles |
| Meltzer's triad | purpura, arthralgias, weakness/myalgias | Cryoglobulinemia |
| Triad of Reactive arthritis | Urethritis, conjunctivitis and anterior uveitis, arthritis | Reactive arthritis |
| Saint's Triad | Gall stones, Diverticulosis, Hiatus hernia | |
| Samter's triad (also known as Acetylsalicylic acid triad or Widal's triad or Francis' triad or Aspirin triad) | Aspirin sensitivity, Nasal polyps, Asthma | Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease |
| Tetany in Children - Triad | Stridor, Carpopedal spasm, Convulsions | Tetany |
| Trauma triad of death | Coagulopathy, Hypothermia, Acidosis | Death |
| Triad of Albinism | Black locks, Occulo-cutaneous Albinism, Deafness of sensorineural type | Albinism |
| Triad of Alport Syndrome | Sensorineural deafness, Progressive kidney failure, Ocular anomalies | Alport syndrome |
| Triad of Behcet's Syndrome | Recurrent oral ulcers, Genital ulcers, Iridocyclitis | Behçet's disease |
| Triad of Causes of Biotin Deficiency | Glossitis, Alopecia, Dermatitis | Biotin deficiency |
| Triad of Henoch–Schönlein purpura | Palpable purpura on buttock/legs, arthralgias, abdominal pain | IgA vasculitis |
| Triad of Hypernephroma | Pain, hematuria, renal mass | Hypernephroma |
| Triad of Kwashiorkor | Growth retardation, Mental changes, Edema | Kwashiorkor |
| Triad of Plummer–Vinson syndrome | Iron deficiency anemia, dysphagia, esophageal webs | Plummer–Vinson syndrome |
| Triad of Renal cell carcinoma | hematuria, palpable abdominal mass, flank pain | Renal cell carcinoma |
| Triple Test (for diagnosis of downs syndrome) | Estimation of hcg, Estriol, and AFP | Down's Syndrome |
| Trotter's triad | Conductive deafness, Immobility of homolateral soft palate, Trigeminal neuralgia | Nasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| Unhappy Triad (Also known as O'Donoghue's triad or a blown knee) | Injury to the ACL, MCL, and meniscus (either medial or lateral) | Knee Injury |
| Virchow's triad | Stasis, Hypercoagulability, Vessel injury | Venous thrombosis |
| Triad of Wernicke encephalopathy | Confusion, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia | Wernicke encephalopathy |
| Whipple's Triad | Hypoglycaemia during attacks, resolution of symptoms upon correction of blood glucose, symptoms brought about by low glucose states. | Insulinoma |
| Triad of Aortic stenosis | Chest pain, Heart failure, Syncope | Aortic stenosis |
| Murphy's triad | Pain-> Vomiting -> Fever | Acute appendicitis |
| Tillaux's triad | soft fluctuant swelling in umbilical region, swelling moves perpendicular to messentery, zone of resonance all around swelling | Mesenteric cyst |
| Rigler's triad | small bowel obstruction, a gallstone outside the gallbladder, and air in the bile ducts | Gallstone ileus |
| Wilkie's syndrome (SMA syndrome) | Chronic peptic ulcer, chronic appendicitis and chronic calcular cholecystitis | gastro-vascular disorder |

## Tetrads

| Name | Tetrad | Disease |
| Tetralogy of Fallot | pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect, right ventricular hypertrophy, overriding aorta | Tetralogy of Fallot |
| Ménière's disease | vertigo, tinnitus, fluctuating low frequency hearing loss, aural fullness | Ménière's disease |
| zoonotic tetrad | scrub typhus, chiggers, rodents and birds, scrub vegetation |

## Pentads

| Name | Pentad | Disease |
| Pentad of TTP | Remembered by the mnemonic "FAT RN" (or alternatively "ART FaN"); Fever, Anemia (microangiopathic hemolytic anemia), Thrombocytopenia, Renal failure, Neurologic disturbances | Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura |
| Pentalogy of Cantrell | Omphalocele, Anterior diaphragmatic hernia, Sternal cleft, Ectopia cordis, Intracardiac defect. | Thoracoabdominal syndrome |
| Pentalogy of Fallot | Fallot's tetralogy with a patent foramen ovale or Atrial septal defect. | |
| Pentad of Primary hyperparathyroidism | "Stones", "Bones", "Abdominal groans", "Thrones", "Psychiatric overtones" | Primary hyperparathyroidism |
| Reynold's Pentad | Right Upper Quadrant Abdominal pain, Fever, Jaundice, Shock and Depression of central nervous system function | Acute suppurative cholangitis |