5 Interesting Facts of Middle East respiratory syndrome Middle East respiratory syndrome is a potentially severe viral infection that is currently rare and connected to the Arabian Peninsula, but it is an emerging disease that may change course Consider diagnosis in residents of or travelers to the Arabian Peninsula and nearby countries, or countries with …
10 Interesting Facts of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Infections Infection with methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci is associated with resistance to essentially all β-lactam antibiotics, thus limiting treatment choices and having significant clinical and economic implications MRSA infections may be aggressive and invasive and cause a wide spectrum of illnesses including skin and soft tissue infection, pneumonia, …
Bone and joint infections Septic arthritis Gout Crystal-induced arthropathy characterized by periodic flares of severe joint pain, erythema, and effusion Appearance of the affected joint may be indistinguishable from a septic joint, and fever may be present Distinction is made by the presence in synovial fluid of negatively birefringent monosodium urate crystals (gout) or positively …
6 Interesting Facts of Infectious endocarditis Infection of heart valves and myocardium Mitral valvular vegetations (eg, accretions of bacteria, fibrin, and platelets) on rare occasion can be large enough to impede blood flow, mimicking mitral stenosis Presents with dyspnea, congestive cardiac failure, heart murmurs, palpitations, systemic embolism, and low-grade fever Most commonly seen in rheumatic …
Skin and soft tissue infections Impetigo Herpes zoster infection (shingles) Reactivation of varicella-zoster virus infection; incidence increases with age Erythematous macules present in unilateral dermatomal distribution, preceded by prodromal paresthesias or pain Macules progress to painful vesicles, which may become bullous or hemorrhagic Differentiating features include dermatomal distribution and presence of pain, combined with history …
4 Interesting Facts of Epidermoid cyst Benign nodular structure that contains fluid or semifluid material encapsulated by a wall of true epidermis Appearance can be clinically similar to that of Merkel cell cancer Unlike Merkel cell cancer, benign cysts are typically not pigmented, do not rapidly enlarge, and may occur in patients of any age …
Migraine associated vertigo Associated with strong headaches, visual symptoms, and light sensitivity Recurrent episodes of vertigo and photophobia May be very difficult to differentiate, but the association of headache and photophobia or other visual disturbance (eg, scotoma, hemianopia) or family history of migraine point toward migraine-associated vertigo