Medical book reviews, education, and commentary.
Here is a mnemonic that will help you remember the side effects of antimycobacterial agents: Rifampin cause Red discoloration of urine and tears, which can lead to patient anxiety and ruined contact lenses. Patients should be counseled about this ahead of time and should be advised not to wear contact lenses while being treated with … Read more
The differential diagnosis for angioedema without urticaria (“hives”) is fairly narrow, and requires a unique workup and management strategy. Clinical presentation Patients present with sudden, profound, non-erythematous, non-pruritic localized edema of distensible tissues such as lips, eyelids, tongue and external genitalia. The key here is that they are negative for hives, itching, or bronchospasms. Two … Read more
Suspect an aortic dissection in patients with chest pain plus any of the following: New neurological problems Anterior spinal artery infarction with loss of motor function and loss of sensation (with preserved position and vibratory senses) Oculosympathetic paresis, or Horner syndrome, with miosis, ptosis, and anhidrosis A painful Horner’s is a dissection until proven otherwise Acute … Read more
Despite some important limitations, this is probably one of the best internal medicine review books in existence. The book is loaded with essential and hard-to-find charts, lists, tips and Board review questions. For example, on page 289 there is a table devoted to the mimics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The table provides essential clinical … Read more
Iatrotropism, or the degree to which individuals are inclined to seek medical attention, is quite obviously one of the most important determinants of outcome in patients with treatable medical problems. The word, like the existing word iatrotropic, comes from the Greek iatros [doctor], and from trope [turn]. (See, Summerton, 2007). A dysiatrotropic patient is someone … Read more
You don’t need to memorize which glomerulonephritides are associate with low complement and which are not. Rather, ask yourself one question: does this patient have persistent, aggressive, endovascular, systemic infectious or inflammatory processes? If the answer is “yes,” then the disease is associate with low complement levels. If the answer is “no,” then complement level … Read more
Dr. Timothy Root’s OphthoBook, videos and flashcards are entertaining, memorable, and super high-yield. In fact, according to the book’s subtitle, it is “The funniest, cartooniest, most high-yieldiest book about eye diseases ever written” – and I agree. I consider these to be among the finest medical educational resources on the internet, and I recommend them … Read more