Reynolds' pentad

proper noun

A collection of signs and symptoms consistent with obstructive ascending cholangitis, a serious infection of the biliary tract. It combines Charcot's cholangitis triad (right upper quadrant pain, jaundice, and fever) with shock (low blood pressure, tachycardia) and an altered mental state.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A collection of signs and symptoms consistent with obstructive ascending cholangitis, a serious infection of the biliary tract. It combines Charcot's cholangitis triad (right upper quadrant pain, jaundice, and fever) with shock (low blood pressure, tachycardia) and an altered mental state.

Origin

Named after surgeon Benedict Reynolds, who described it (along with Everett Dargan) in 1959.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Reynolds' pentad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reynolds'%20pentad

MLA

“Reynolds' pentad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reynolds'%20pentad. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Reynolds' pentad,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reynolds'%20pentad.

Source: Reynolds' pentad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.