Prima overview of a large number of diseases. Sometimes not quite fully in the description and not all diseases are described. In short, the summary is an excellent tool for learning the material but is not comprehensive.
Upper Respiratory tract Infection (URI) common cold, hay fever, sinusitis, etc.
Causes: virusses (rhinovirus!), bacteria or fungi
Symptoms:
Cough/Sneezing
Sore throat
Runny nose
Headache
Findings on examination:
Symptoms which lead to the diagnosis (investigations often not necessary).
Investigations:
Hay fever: skin prick test or measuring of IgE antibodies
Blood test for virus, bactium or fungus
Pneumonia
Causes: virusses, bacteria or fungi
Symptoms:
Cough
Fever
Chest pain
Breathlessness
Findings on examination:
Rapid breathing
Increased temperature
Changed skin colour (due to lack of oxygen)
Investigations:
X-ray (white areas)
Blood test (WBC high)
Bronchoscopy
,Pulmonary Embolism
Causes: often a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the leg
Symptoms:
Breathlessness
Chest pain
Coughing (with blood = hemoptysis)
Findings on examination:
Rapid breathing
Arrhythmia
Cyanosis, increased heart rate, sweating collapse
(Swollen, painful, red, warm leg in case of DVT)
Investigations:
Ventilation/perfusion scan, VQ scan (to localize)
Pulmonary angiography (look for blood cloth)
CT-scan (look for blood cloth)
Blood test (high D-dimer)
ECG (dysfunction of the right side of the heart)
Pneumothorax
Causes: COPD, asthma, cyctic fibrosis, lung infections, lung cancer, trauma to chest/lung
Symptoms:
Unilateral chest pain
(increasing) dyspnoe (leading to severe oxygen shortage and cardiac arrest)
Findings on examination:
Breathlessness
Pale
Tachycardia
Investigations:
X-ray (black lung)
CT-scan
Ultrasound
Asthma
Causes: allergens (e.g. dust), chemicals, drugs, etc.
Symptoms:
Wheezing attacks of shortness of breath
Cough
Chest tightness
Findings on examination:
Decreased breathing sounds
Wheezing
Eczema
Investigations:
Spirometry
Skin test for allergies
Blood gasses (decreased O2, increased CO2)
, Gastrointestinal Diseases
Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)
Causes: bacteria (E. coli!), virusses, fungi, chemotherapy/radiotherapy
Symptoms:
Painful voiding
Frequent urination
Heamaturia
Abdominal pain
Findings on examination:
Constant urination impulse
Smelly urine (with blood)
Increased temperature
Investigations:
Urine culture
Cytoscopy (+ biopsy to look for inflammation)
Less common: imaging with X-ray/CT/Ultrasound/MRI
Cholelithiasis = gallstones, mostly in gallbladder
Causes: Obesity, fat diet, diabetes mellitus,
Symptoms:
Abdominal colic pain
Nausea and vomiting
Dark urine and clay-colored stools (when stones block the billary tract)
Findings on examination:
Right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness
Jaundice (when stones block the billary tract)
Increased temperarture (when stones block the billary tract)
Investigations:
Blood tests (inflammatory markers cholecystitis?)
ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreaticography) to localize and remove
CT-scan
Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder)
Causes: cholelithiasis stasis of the gall infection by E.coli
Symptoms:
Severe pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen or in the epigastric region
Nausea (with vomiting)
Diarrhea
Findings on examination:
Emphyema (extended gallbladder by pus)
Increased temperature
Jaundice (normally not in cholecystitis, so this indicates complications!)
Investigations:
X-ray (to look for gallstones and inflammation)
Ultrasound (to look for gallstones and inflammation)
Blood test (to look for inflammatory markers)
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