Differential diagnoses Flashcards
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DDx
Abdominal pain
- Constant
- Colicky
- Pain on eating
- Inflammation, ischaemia
- Obstruction of a viscus
- Peptic ulcer, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, mesenteric ischaemia
DDx
Epigastric pain
- Peptic ulcer
- Pancreatitis
- Reflux oesophagitis
- Acute gastritis
- Malignancy: gastric, pancreatic
- Pain from adjacent areas: RUQ, central abdo pain, cardio/pulm/pleural pathology
- Functional disorders: nono-ulcer dyspepsia, IBS
DDx
RUQ pain
- Gall bladder path: cholecystitis, biliary colic, cholangitis
- Liver path: hepatitis, hepatomegaly (CCF, Budd-chiari syndrome); hepatic tumours, hepatic/subphrenic abscess
- Pain from epigastrum (pancreatitis, peptic ulcer), RIF, loin pain, pulm/pleural path (pneumonia, empyema, pulm infarction)
- Appendicitis in pregnant women
- Colonic cancer in hepatic flexure
- Herpes Zoster
- Fitx-hugh curtis syndromerare - complication of pelvic inflammatory disease
DDx
RIF pain
- GI: appedicitis, IBD, colonic cancer, constipation IBD
- Repro: Females: ovarian cyst tortion/rupture/haemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy, salpingitis/pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis
- Males: seminal vesiculitis, cancer in undescended testis
- Renal: UTI, ureteric colic (renal stones)
- Pain from adjacent areas: RUQ, suprapubic, central abdo pain, groin pain, hip pathology, psoas abscess, rectus sheath haematoma, right-sided lobar pneumonia
DDx
Suprapubic pain
- Urinary retention
- Cystitis
- Pain from adjacent areas - RIF/LIF
DDx
LIF pain
- GI: diverticulitis, IBD, colonic cancer, constipation, IBS
- Repro:
- Females: ovarian cyst tortion/rupture/haemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy, salpingitis/pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis
- Males: seminal vesiculitis, cancer in undescended testis
- Renal: UTI, ureteric colic (renal stones)
- Adjacent areas: LUQ, suprapubic, central abdo, hip path, psoas abscess, rectus sheath haematoma, left sided lobar pneumonia
DDx
LUQ pain
- Splenic rupture, splenic infarction, splenomegaly
- Subphrenic abscess
- Pain from adjacent areas: epigastric, LIF, loin pain, cardio/pulm/pleural path (MI, pericarditis, pneumonia, empyema, pulm infarction)
- Colonic cancer in splenic flexure
- Herpes zoster
DDx
Central abdo
- GI: intestinal obstruction, early appendicitis, gastroenteritis
- Vascular: AAA (ruptured), mesenteric ischaemia
- Medical: DKA, uraemia
- Adj areas: epigastric, iliac
DDx
Loin pain
- Infection: UTI, perinephric abscess/pyonephrosis
- Obstruction: renal stones
- Renal disease: tubulointerstitial nephritis, IgA nephropathy, renal vein thrombosis, renal carcinoma, polycystic kidney disease
- Haemorrhagic adrenal infarction
- Aortic dissection (type B)
- Pain from vertebral column
DDx
Groin pain
- Renal stones (pain radiating from loin to groin)
- Testicular pain - tortion, epididymo-orchitis
- Hernia - inguinal
- Hip path
- Pelvic fractures
DDx
Diffuse abdo pain
- Gastroenteritis
- Peritonitis
- Intestinal obstruction
- IBD
- Mesenteric ischaemia
- Medical causes - DKA
- CVS/resp: MI, pneumonia
- Metabolic: DKA, addisonian crisis, HerCa, uraemia, porphyria,paheo, lead poisoning, hereditary angioedema
- Neuro: herpes zoster, tabes dorsalis
- Haem: sickle cell crisis, retroperitoneal haemorrhage, lymphadenopathy
- Inflammatory: vasculitis
- Infections: intestinal parasites, TB, malaria, typhoid fever
- IBS
- IBS
DDx
Abdo distention
- Fat
- Fluid
- Flatus (intestinal obstruction - small bowel: adhesions, herniae, intussusception, CD, tumour, TB; large bowel: cancer, volvulus, diverticulitis, faeces), perf viscus
- Faeces
- Fetus
- Giant organomegaly
DDx
Metabolic Acidosis
- Normal anion gap:
- ^GI bicarb loss: diarrhoea, fistula (biliary, intestinal, pancreatic), ileostomy
- t1 renal tubular acidosis: dec H+ secretion
- T2 RTA: dec HCO3 reabsorption
- T4 RTA: suppression of ammonia excretion hyperK
- High anion gap:
- Ketoacidosis: DM, excess alcohol, starvation
- Lactic acidosis -> tissue hypoxia, drugs (metformin, ethanol, methanol, zidovudine), short gut syndrome, leukaemia, lymphoma, liver failure, G6PD
- Renal failure
- Salicylate poisoning
DDx
Respiratory Acidosis
- CNS:
- Organic disease involving resp centre (vasc, infection, inflammatory, trauma, tumour)
- Drugs: opiates, BZD, barbiturates
- Lungs: severe asthma (uncommon), COPD, large airway obstruction, Obs sleep apnoea
- Neuromuscular:
- Motorneurone: Guillain-Barre syndrome, motor neurone disease, polomyelitis, acute porphyria
- NMJ/muscle: myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, muscle relaxant, diaphragmatic paralysis
- Chest wall: severe kyphoscoliosis, severe obesity, traumatic flail chest
DDx
Metabolic alkalosis
- GI loss of H+: vomiting, laxative abuse, villous adenoma, VIPoma
- Renal loss of H+: hyperaldosteronism
- Excess glucocorticoids: cushing’s sydnrome, liquorice
- ^ Na delivery to distal nephron: diuretics thiazides and loop diuretics
- Intercellular shift of H+: hypokalaemia
- Others: compensation for resp acidosis
- Excessive alkali ingestion, fulminant hepatic failure
DDx
Respiratory Alkalosis
- Hyperventilation:
- Physiological (anxiety, pain, fever, pregnancy, high altitude)
- Mechanical overventilation
- Resp failure: type 1 - asthma, COPD, pneumonia, pulm oedema, pulm embolism, ARDS, fibrosing alveolitis
- CO poisoning
- CNS disease: stroke, infection, tumour, trauma
- Others: liver failure, GN septicaemia
DDx
Macrocytic Anaemia
- Alcohol
- Folate/B12 deficiency
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Liver disease
- Myelodysplasia
- Drugs: methotrexate, hydroxyurea, azathioprine, zidovudine
DDx
Microcytic anaemia
- IDA: blood loss (GI, urogenital, hookworm, malabsorption, ^ demands, decreased intake
- Thalassaemia
- Sideroblastic anaemia - x-linked, alcohol, drugs, lead, myelodysplasia
- Lead poisoning
- Anaemia of chronic disease
DDx
Normocytic anaemia
- Anaemia of chronic disease (chornic infection, inflamm/connective tissue diseases, malignancy)
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Pregnancy
- Renal failure
- Bone marrow failure
DDx
Haemolytic anaemia
- Hereditary:
- Haemoglobinopathies: sickle cell and thalassaemia
- Membrane defects: spherocytosis, elliptocytosis
- Metabolic defects: pyruvate kinase deficiency, G6PD
- Acquired:
- AI: warm Ab (SLE, lymphoma), cold Ab (EBV, lymphoma)
- Alloimmune: transfusion
- Drugs: penicillin, quinidine
- Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia: TTP, HUS, DIC, malignant HTN
- Artificial heart valves
DDx
Aplastic anaemia
- Idiopathic:
- Inherited: fanconi anaemia, dyskeratosis congenita
- Acquired: drugs, chemicals, radiation, viral infection (B19 parvovirus, HIV, hepatitis, measles)
Causes of Aortic regurg:
- Valve leaflet abnormalities: infective endocarditis, RhF, trauma, bicuspid aortic valve
- aortic and valve ring dilatation: aortic dissection, aortitis, arthritides (RhA, ankspond) ^ BP
- Others: Marfan’s syndrome, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, IBD
Causes of Aortic stenosis
- Stenosis secondary to RhHD
- Calcification of a congenital bicuspid AV
- Calcification/degeneration of a tricuspid AV in elderly
DDx
Increased APTT
- Haemophilia
- vWD
- Liver disease
- Warfarin therapy, vitamin K def
- Heparin
- DIC
- Antiphospholipid syndrome
DDx
Hypoxia and
- Normal/low PaCO2
- High PaCO2
- Resp Failure T1:
- Asthma
- COPD
- Pulm embolism
- Pulm oedema
- Pneumonia
- Pulm fibrosis
- R -> L shunt
- ARDS
- Resp Failure T2:
- CNS:
- Organic disease involving resp centre
- Drug: opiates, BZD, Barb
- Lungs:
- Severe asthma
- COPD
- Large airway obstruction
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Neuromuscular:
- Motor neurones: GBS, MND, poliomyelitis, acute porphyria
- NMJ/muscle: myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophies, uscle relaxants, diaphragmatic paralysis
- Chest wall: severe kyphoscoliosis, severe obesity, traumatic flail chest
- CNS:
DDx
Ascites
- Transudate:
- Cirrhosis
- Cardiac failure/constrictive pericarditis
- Nephrotic syndrome, renal failure
- Rare: Meigs’ syndrome, ovarian hyperstimulation
- Exudate:
- Malignancy (abdo, pelvic, peritoneal mesothelioma)
- Infection: TB, pyogenic
- Pancreatic
- Myxoedema (hypothyroidism)
- Budd-Chiari syndrome (hepatic vein obstruction), portal vein thrombosis
- Chylous ascites - obstruction of lymphatics
- Haemorrhagic ascites:
- Tumour
- Trauma
- Acute pancreatitis
DDx
Left axis deviation
- L ant hemiblock
- MI in inferior wall
- Wolff-parkinson-white syndrome
- Ventricular tachycardia
- Obesity, pregnancy, congenital heart defects
DDx
Right axis deviation
- R ventricular hypertrophy, pulm embolism
- MI to antero-lateral
- Wolff-parkinson-white syndrome - left sided accessory pathway
- Dextrocardia
- Left post hemiblock - rare
Causes of B12 deficiency
- Decreased absorption:
- Decreased IF (pernicious anaemia, gastroscopy)
- Terminal ileal surgery/disease (coeliac disease, crohn’s disease, TB, bacterial overgrowth, lymphoma, pancreatic insufficiency)
- Drug induced malabsorption - metformin
- Decreased intake: vegans
- Other: transcobalamin deficiency, nitrous oxide
DDx
Back pain
- Trauma/fractures, strenuous activity
- Younger pts <40
- Prolapsed disc
- Ankspond
- Spondylolisthesis
- (alkaptonuria)
- Older pts >40
- Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis
- Spinal stenosis, spinal claudication
- Paget’s
- Herpes Zoster
- Serious causes:
- Infection (TB, bacterial osteomyelitis)
- Malignancy (metastasis, multiple myeloma)
- Cord compression
- Fracture
- Vascular/GI/Pelvic
- Aortic aneurysm
- Peptic ulcer, pancreatic cancer
- Renal disease, rectal cancer, uterine tumours
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, ovarian cyst
- Retroperitoneal fibrosis
DDx
Blackouts
- Cardiovascular:
- Arrhythmia: bradycardia, tachycardia
- Outflow obstruction: aortic stenosis, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, pulm embolism, pulm stenosis
- Postural hypotension: hypovolaemia, autonomic neuropathy, antihypertensive meds
- MI, aortic dissection
- Neurological:
- Epilepsy
- Stroke/TIA
- Vasovagal (reflex bradycardia):
- Prolonged standing esp. in warm surroundings
- Other causes of vagal overactivity: micturition, cough, carotid sinus hypersensitivity
- Metabolic: hypoglycaemia
DDx
Breathlessness
- Acute (mins):
- Pulm embolism
- Pneumothorax
- Foreign body
- Anaphylaxis
- Anxiety
- Subacute (hrs)
- Left ventricular failure - pulm oedema)
- Asthma
- COPD
- Chest infection
- Metabolic acidosis
- Chronic (days-wks):
- Anaemia
- Recurrent pulm emboli
- Cardiac disease (HF, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease)
- Asthma
- COPD
- Chest infection/bronchiectasis
- Lung cancer
- Pulm fibrosis
- Pulm HTN
- Hepatorenal syndrome
- Cirrhotic hydrothorax
- NM disorders, chest wall deformities
DDx
Bundle Branch block
- LBBB:
- IHD
- Cardiomyopathy
- Left ventricular hypertrophy - aortic stenosis, HTN
- Conduction system fibrosis
- RBBB:
- IHD
- Cardiomyopathy
- Massive pulm embolism
- Atrial septal defect, Ebsteins anomaly
DDx
Chest pain
- Cardiac large vessels: angina pectoris, MI, pericarditis, aortic dissection, rupture of thoracic aortic aneurysm, bleeding into atheroma
- Resp: PE, pneumothorax, pneumonia, connective tissue disease
- GI: reflux oesophagitis, oesophageal spasm, hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer, pancreatitis
- MSK: Teitze’s syndrome, fractured rib
- Neuro: herpes zoster, nerve root compression
Pleuritic:
- PE
- pneumothorax
- pneumonia
- pericarditis
- connective tissue disease
- Malignancy involving pleura
DDx
CXR - bilat hilar lymphadenopathy
- TB
- Sarcoidosis
- Lymphoma
- Others: bronchial carcinoma, metastatic tumours, recurrent chest infections, AIDS, berylliosis, silicosis
DDx
CXR - Cavitating lung lesions
- Abscess - staph aureus, klebsiella, p aeruginosa, TB, histoplasmosis
- Tumour - squamous cell carcinoma, lymphoma
- Infarct
- Inflammatory: rheumatoid nodule, wegner’s granulomatosis
DDx
CXR: coin lesions
- Tumours: bronchial crcinoma, met deposit
- Infection: TB, pneumonia, abscess, hydatid cyst
- Infarction
- Encysted pleural effusion
- Rheumatoid nodule
- Vasculitides
- AV malformation
DDx
CXR: Airspace/alveolar shadows
- Pus - consolidation
- Fluid - pulm oedema
- Blood - pulm haemorrhage
- Cells - lymphangitis carcinomatosis, alveolar cell carcinoma
DDx
Reticulonodular shadowing
- Pulm fibrosis:
- Cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis
- Connective tissue disease: scleroderma, SLE, sarcoidosis, RhA, ankspond
- Drugs (amiodarone, NFT), radiation
- Extrinsic allergic alveolitis
- Pneumoconioses
- Upper zone: TB, allergic bronchopulm aspergillosis, radiation, ext allergic alveolitis, ankspond, sarcoidosis
- Middle zone: sarcoidosis
- Lower zone: cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, drugs, asbestosis, RhA, scleroderma
DDx
CXR: White hemithorax
- Large pleural effusion
- Pneumonectomy
- Congenital absence of lung/extensive hypoplasia
- Collapse
DDx
Increased Creatine Kinase
- MI, myocarditis
- Meds: statins, azathioprine, alcohol
- Surgery, trauma, burns, haematoma, IM injections, defib
- Rhabdomyolysis, rigorous exercise, seizures
- Dermatomyositis, polymyositis, muscular dystrophy
- Bowel ischaemia
- Myxoedema
DDx
Clubbing
- Congenital
- Acquired:
- CVS:
- Congential cyanotic heart disease
- Infectiv endocarditis
- Atrial myxoma
- Resp:
- Cancer: bronchial, mesothelioma
- Fibrosis
- Suppurative lung disease
- Cryptogenic organising pneumonia
- GI:
- Cirrhosis
- IBD
- GI lymphoma, malabsorption
- Others: thyroid acropachy, unilat clubbing: axillary artery aneurysm, brachial AV malformations
- CVS:
DDx
Decreased Consciousness
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hypoxia: cardiac arrest, shock (hypovolaemic, septic), resp failure
- Vascular: intracranial haemorrhage/iinfarction
- Infection: meningitis, encephalitis
- Inflammation
- Trauma
- Toxic:drugs - opiates, alcohol
- Metabolic: liver/renal failure, electrolyte (Na/K/Ca/Mg) disturbances, andocrinopathies
- Epilepsy
DDx
Constipation
- Diet: low fibre, inadequate fluid intake
- Drugs: opiates, anticholinergic, iron
- Immobility
- Old age
- Surgical/GI:
- Anorectal disease
- Intestinal obstruction
- IBS
- Post op
- Endo: hypothyroidism, hyperCa, hypokalaemia, porphyria, lead poisoning
- Neuro/muscular: autonomic neuropathy, spinal/pelvic nerve injury, scleroderma
DDx
Cough
- URTI
- Pulm causes: all lung diseases: asthma, COPD, PE, infection, bronchiectasis, malignancy, interstitial lung disease, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis
- Other causes:
- Post-nasal drip
- GORD
- ACEi
- HF
- Psychogenic
DDx
Auscultation: Crackles
- Fine crackles: pulm fibrosis, pulm oedema
- Coarse crackles: Brochiectasis, consolidation, COPD
DDx
Cranial Nerve lesions: III
- Brainstem: demyelination, infarction, tumour, basilar aneurysm
- Posterior communicating artery aneurysm
- Inflammation/infiltration of basal meninges: TB, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, carcinoma, syphilis
- Cavernous sinus: aneurysm, thrombosis, tumour
- Sup orbital fissure/orbit: tumour, granuloma
- Medical 3rd nerve palsy - pupil spared: infarction in nerve trunk 2ry to DM, HTN, SLE, polyarteritis nodosa, GCA
- Migraine
- Tentorial herniation
DDx
Cranial nerve lesion: IV
- Brainstem: demyelination, infarction, tumoour
- Head trauma
- Inflammation/infiltration of basal meninges: TB, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, carcinoma, syphilis
- Cavernous sinus: aneurysm, thrombosis, tumour
- Superior orbital fissue/orbit: tumour, granuloma
- Infarction to nerve trunk 2ry to DM, HTN, SLE, polyarteritis nodosa, GCA
DDx
Cranial Nerve lesions: V
- Sensory involvement: trigeminal neuralgia, herpes zoster, nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- Brainstem: demyelination, iinfarction, tumour
- Cerebellopontine angle: acoustic neuroma, meningioma
- Inflammation/infiltration of basal meninges: TB, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, carcinoma, syphilis
- Petrositis
DDx
Cranial nerve lesions VI
- Damage to nerves blood supply: DM, HTN, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
- Brainstem: demyelination, infarction tumour
- False localising sign of raised ICP
- Cerebellopontine angle tumour
- Inflammation/infiltration of basal meninges: TB, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, carcinoma, syphilis
- Petrositis
- Orbital tumour
DDx
Cranial nerve lesions causing multiple palsies
- Brainstem lesions (stroke, tumour)
- Basal meningeal infiltration: carcinoma, TB, sarcoid, lymphoma, leukaemia
- Trauma
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Botulism
- Mononeuritis multiplex
- Arnold-Chiari malformation
- Paget’s disease
DDx
Increased Creatinine
- Decreased GRFR, high muscle mass, rhabdomyolisis
- Tranient/minimal increase: after exercise, high meat meal
- Decreased tubular secretion; trimethoprim, cimetidine
DDx
Decreased creatinine
- Increased GFR - pregnancy
- Low muscle mass
When in CRP elevated?
- Infection
- Inflammation
- Malignancy
DDx
Increased WCC in CSF
- Predominantly lymphocytes:
- Infective meningitis: viral meningitis/meningoencephalitis, TB, fungal, listerial, syphilis
- Inflammatory diseases: Behcet’s disease, sarcoidosis, SLE, MS
- Malignancy: lymphoma, leukamia, other tumours
- Drugs: NSAIDs, trimethoprim
- Predominantly neutrophils
- Bacterial meningitis
- Brain abscess eroding into ventricles
- Initial phase of viral meningitis
DDx
Decreased glucose in CSF
- Bacterial meningitis
- TB meningitis
- Fungal meningitis
- Occasionally mumps meningitis and herpes encephalitis
- Sarcoidosis, CNS vasculitides, carcinomatous meningitis
DDx
Central and peripheral cyanosis
- Central:
- Decreased O2 transfer due to lung disease: fibrosing alveolitis, severe pneumonia, COPD, massive PE
- R->L shunt (cyanotic congenital HD)
- methaemaglobinaemia, sulfhaemoglobinaemia
- Acute: asthma, pneumothorax, inhaled foreign body LVF
- Peripheral
- same as central cyanosis
- Cold exposure
- Raynauds phenomenon
- Arterial occlusion
- Decreased cardiac output
DDx
Deafness: sensorineural or conductive
- Conductive:
- Wax in canal
- Eardrum: perforation, cholesteatoma
- Ostosclerosis, ossicular abnormality
- Middle ear effusion
- Sensorineural:
- Infection: measles, mumps, meningitis, syphilis
- Trauma: noise, head injury, surgery
- Tumour: acoustic neuroma
- Toxic: aminoglycosides, cytotoxic drugs, frusemide
- Congenital: maternal rubella, eclampsia, perinatal hypoxia
- Genetic: Alport syndrome/Waardenburg syndrome
- Degenerative: presbyacusis
- Others: Meniere’s disease, Paget’s disease
DDx
Dehydration
- Decreased fluid intake: severe illness, anorexia, malnutrition
- Pyrexia/excess sweating
- GI loss: D/V
- Polyuria - DM, DI, hyperCa
DDx
Delirium
- Hypoxia - resp/cardiac failure
- Hypoglycaemia
- Toxic: alcohol withdrawal, Wernicke’s encephalopathy
- Drugs: opiates, Anticholinergics, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, digoxin, dopaminergic agonists, recreatioonal drugs
- Metabolic: Liver/renal failure, electrolyte imabalances (hypoNa, HyperCa), endocrinopathies, nutritional def (B12, nicotinic acid, thiamine)
- Vascular: intracranial bleeding, infarction, venous sinus thrombosis
- Infection: intracranial (meningitis/encephalitis), extracranial: chest infection, urinary infection, surgical wounds, IV lines
- Inflammation: vasculitis
- Trauma: head injury, subdural haematoma
- Tumour: space occupying lesions
- Hypertensive encephalopathy
- Epilepsy: status epilepticus, post-ictal states
DDx
Dementia
- Alzheimers
- Vascular: multiple infarctions
- Infection: HIV, syphilis, Whipple’s disease
- Inflammation: vasculitis, SLE, sarcoid, MS
- Trauma: head injury, subdural haemorrhage
- Tumour: frontal, post fossa, brain mets and paraneoplastic
- Toxic: alcohol, lead, barbiturates
- Metabolic: myxoedema, vit B12 def, hypoglycaemia
- Inherited: Wilson’s disease, huntington’s chorea
- Degenerative: Parkinson’s, Pick’s disease, prion disease, Lewy body dementia
DDx
Diarrhoea
- Infection:
- Viral: rotavrius, adenovirus
- Campylobacter, Salmonella
- Shigella, E coli
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Staph aureus
- Clostridium botulinum/perfringens/difficile
- Virbrio cholerae/parahaemolyticus
- Parasites: Giardia, cryptosporidium, entamoeba histiolytica
- AIDS: enteropathy, cryptosporidia, microsporidia, CMV
- IBD
- Malabsorption: small intestine disease/resection, pancreatic insufficiency
- Medication: laxatives, Abx
- Overflow diarrhoea: 2ry to constipation
- Endocrine: thyrotoxicosis, carcinoid syndrome, DM, VIPomas
DDx
Bloody diarrhoea
- Infective colitis: campylobacter, haemorrhagic E coli, entamoeba histiolytica, salmonella, shigella- CMV in immunocompromised
- IBD
- Ischaemic colitis
- Diverticulitis
- Malignancy
DDx
Dullness at base of lung
- Pleural effusion
- Pleural thickening - old TB, empyema, mesothelioma
- Basal collapse
- Raised hemidiaphragm - hepatomegaly, phrenic nerve palsy
DDx
Dysarthria - difficulty with speech
- Cerebellar disease: slurred, scanning speech
- Bulbar palsy: nasal speech
- Pseudobulbular palsy: slow, indistinct, effortful - spastic speech
- Extrapyramidal disease: soft, monotonous
DDx
Dyspepsia
- GORD, oesophagitis
- Peptic ulcer, hiatus hernia, gastritis, duodenitis, gastric cancer
- Chronic cholecystitis
- Non-ulcer dyspepsia
DDx
Dysphagia
- Intraluminal: foreign body
- Intramural:
- Achalasia
- Benign stricture: oesophageal webs/rings
- Cancer - oesophageal, gastric, pharyngeal
- Diffuse oesophageal spasm
- Oesophagitis: infection - candidiasis, HSV, CMV, HIV, inflammation (GORD, corrosives, radiotherapy)
- Others: scleroderma, chagas’ disease
- Extramural:
- Lung cancer
- Lymphadenopathy
- Retrosternal goitre
- Pharyngeal pouch
- Paraoesophageal hiatus hernia
- Aortic aneurysm
- Aberrant SCA
- Left atrial enlargement
- Neuromuscular:
- Stroke
- Guillain Barre
- Bulbar/pseudobulbar palsy
- Myaesthenia gravis
- Inflammatory myositis
- Motor neurone disease
- Syringobulbia
DDx
Dysphasia
- Broca’s expressive: lesions affecting inferolateral frontal lobe
- Wernicke’s reeptive: lesions afecting posterior superior temporal lobe
- Conduction dysphasia
DDx
Dysuria
- UTI: cystitis, urethritis, acute pyelonephitis
- Urethritis: chlamydial, gonococcal; trichonomas vaginalis, candida albicans, herpes simplex
- Vaginitis: candida albicans, trichonomas vaginalis, bacterial vaginosis
- Prostatitis
- Interstitial cystitis
- Female urethral syndrome
DDx
ESR
- Increased:
- Infection
- Inflammatory/connective tissue diseases
- Malignancy
- metabolic - phaeo
- ^ESR with normal CRP
- SLE
- UC
- Myeloma
- Recovery from infection
DDx
Unilateral facial palsy
- Bell’s palsy/pathologies along course of nerve
- brainstem: infarction, demyelination, tumour
- cerebellopontine angle: acoustic neuroma
- Basal meningeal inflammation/infiltration: TB, sarcoidosis, lymphoma
- Middle ear: infection or herpes zoster
- Face/parotid: surgery/trauma
DDx
Bilateral facial nerve palsy
- Congenital facial diplegia
- Guillain-Barre
- Sarcoidosis
- Motor neurone disease
- Myasthenia gravis
- Muscular dstrophy
- Infections: lyme disease and HIV
DDx
Facial pain
- Neuro:
- GCA
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Glossopharyngeal neuralgia
- Migrainous neuralgia and migraine
- postherpetic neuralgia
- Local causes:
- Post traumatic
- Sinusitis
- Orbital and ocular disease, optic neuritis, retroorbital disease
- Dental/oral disease
- TMJ dysfunction
- Ear and parotid disease
- Nasopharyngeal tumours
- Referred cardiac pain
- Atypical facial pain
DDx
Facial swelling
- Periorbital oedema
- Infection - peri/orbital cellulitis, trichinosis
- Allergy - anaphylaxis
- Hypo/erthyroidism
- Nephrotic syndrome, hypoalbuminaemia
- Cavernous sinus thrombosis
- Dermatomyositis
- Other causes:
- Dental/sinus infection
- Trauma, burns
- Subcut emphysema
- SVC thrombosis
- Cushing’s syndrome, obesity
DDx
Faecal incontinence
- Diarrhoea
- Overflow - faecal impaction, neoplasm
- Pelvic floor abnormality: accidental injury, traumatic childbirth, rectal prolapse
- Neurological: epilepsy, spinal cord compression, stroke, MS, trauma and tumours, peripheral neuropathy, dementia, parkinson’s
- Congenital: meningomyelocele, anorectal abnormalities
DDx
Fatigue
- anaemia
- endocrine/metabolic: DM, hypo/erthyroidism, addison’s disease, uraemia
- HF
- infection
- inflammatory/connective tissue diseases
- malignancy
- drugs - b-blockers
- depression
- chronic fatigue syndrome
DDx
Ferritin- high or low
- High:
- Acute phase response: infection, inflammation, malignancy
- Haemochromatosis
- Repeated transfusions in thalassaemia, iron therapy
- Still’s disease
- Sideroblastic anaemia
- anaemia of chronic disease, chronic haemolysis
- Low: IDA
DDx
Fever in travellers
- Hep A
- Malaria
- Typhoid
- Leptospirosis
- Dengue
- haemorrhagic fevers
- Longer incubation:
- malaria
- typhoid
- TB
- brucellosis
- leishmaniasis
- amoebic abscess
DDx
Finger pain
- Vascular: vasospasm, vasculitis, PVD, emboli
- Nerve/root compression: carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathy
- Infeciton: paronychia, tendon sheath inection, pulp space infection
- Inflammation/connective tissue disease: RhA, gout, scleroderma
- Trauma: fx, subungual haematoma
- Tumour: bone tumour, glomus tumour
DDx
Flaccid paralysis
- Anterior spinal artery syndrome
- Anterior horn cells: poliomyelitis, enterovirus, echovirus, adenovirus, west nile virus
- Nerve root: polyradiculopathy, tabes dorsalis, cauda equina
- Peripheral nerves: GBS
- Myoneural junction: myasthenia gravis, lambert-eaton syndrome
- Myopathy
DDx
Folate deficiency
- Increased demand: pregnancy/lactation, malignancy, chronic inflammation, chronic haemolytic anaemia, haemodialysis
- Decreased absorption: jejunal disease (coeliac, tropical sprue, whipple’s disease, small intestinal resection
- Decreased intake: alcoholics, elderly, anorexia
- Drugs: phenytoin, trimethoprim, sulphasalazine
DDx
Foot drop
- Neuro:
- Common peroneal nerve lesion: mononeuritis multiplex (DM)
- L5 root lesion
- Rare: motor neuron disease, MS, stroke
- Musc:
- injury to dorsiflexors
- Compartment syndrome
DDx
Foot pain
- Deformities, strain
- Skin: cellulitis, warts, corns, callosities
- Bone: fracture, osteomyelitis, osteochondritis (metatarsal head and navicular), tumours
- Joints: septic arthritis, gout, RhA, osteoarthritis
- Periarticular: plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, bursitis
- Vascular: ischaemia, ulcers
- Neuro: L4/5/S1 root pain, morton’s metatarsalgia, tarsal tunnel syndrome
DDx
Nocturia, Urinary frequency
- Polyuria
- Frequent passage of small amounts of urine:
- UTI
- Bladder (stone, tumour, compression by pelvic mass)
- Prostate enlargement (BPH, cancer)
- Genuine stress incontinence
- Detrusor instability
- Sensory urgency
DDx
GI bleeding
- Upper:
- Peptic ulcer
- Gastritis/gastric erosions, duodenitis, oesophagitis
- G-O varices
- Mallory-Weiss tear
- Medications: NSAIDs, anticoag, steroids, thrombolytics
- Oesophageal/gastric cancer
- Rare:
- Bleeding disorders, hereditary haemmorrhagic telangiectasia, Dieulafoy gastric vascular abnormality
- Lower GI:
- Anal: haemorrhoids, fissure
- Angiodysplasia
- Bowel cancer, polyps
- Colitis: inflammative (UC), infective, ischaemia, radiation
- Diverticulae (colonic)
- Excessive GI (upper) bleeding
- Other: bleeding disorders, aortoenteric, fistula, meckel’s diverticulum, solitary renal ulcer
DDx
Gaze palsy - horizontal and vertical
- Horizontal:
- Ipsilat pontine or contralat frontal lobe lesions
- Vascular, tumour, demyelination, infection
- Ipsilat pontine or contralat frontal lobe lesions
- Vertical:
- Superior midbrain lesions:
- Vascular, tumours (mets), demyelination, infection, metabolic, neurodegen
- Superior midbrain lesions:
DDx
Glossitis
- Iron def
- Def of folate, B12, niacin (B3, thiamine (B1), riboflavin, Zinc
- Candidiasis
- Syphilis - rare
DDx
increased GGT
Liver disease:
- Cholestasis
- alcohol-induced damage
DDx
Glycosuria
- DM - 1 and 2
- Pregnancy
- Chronic renal failure
- Renal tubular dysfunction/damage
DDx
Goitre
- Simple goitre - euthyroid: puberty, pregnancy
- Thyrotoxicosis: Graves, toxic adenoma, toxic multinodular goitre with palpable nodule, thyroiditis
- Hypothyroidism: hashimoto’s
- Lithium, anti-thyroid drugs, iodine def/excess, dyshormogenesis
- thyroid cyst
- thyroid carcinoma: papillary, follicular, anaplastic, medullary, lymphoma
DDx
Gynaecomastia
- Physiological: puberty, elderly
- Pseudogynaecomastia - obese men
- Drugs: spironolactone, chlorpromazine, oestrogens, digoxin, drugs of abuse - marijuana/heroin
- Chronic liver disease
- Chronic renal failure
- Hypogonadism
- Hyperthyroidism
- Tumours: ectopic hCG, oestrogen producing
- Unilat:
- Breast carcinoma
- Lipoma, lymphangioma, neurofibroma, haematoma, dermoid cyst
DDx
Haematuria
- Kidney, bladder, ureter or urethra:
- Trauma
- Infection: UTI, (TB), schistosomiasis
- Stones
- Tumours
- Others: glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, interstitial nephritis, cystic renal disease, emboli, renal vein thrombosis, vascular malformation, drugs, excessive exercise
- Prostate: BPH, prostate cancer, prostatitis
- General: haematological disorders, anticoags
- Other causes of urine discolouration:
- Food: beetroot
- Drugs: senna, rifampicin
- Haemoglobinuria/myoglobinuria
- Porphyria
DDx
Haemoptysis
- Lung:
- Infection - TB, pneumonia, absces, bronchitis, bronchiectasis
- PE
- Malignancy
- Vasculitis - Wegner’s granulomatosis, Goodpasture’s
- Trauma
- Foreign body
- Heart: Mitral stenosis
- Rarer: arteriovenous malformation, amyloidosis, sarcoidosis
DDx
Hallucination
- Psych:
- Schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder
- Mania with psychosis
- Severe depression with psychosis
- Dementia
- Delirium
- Puerperal psychosis
- Alcoholic hallucinosis
- Organic:
- Cerebrovascular
- Infection
- toxic/metabolic - alcohol, hallucinogens
- Drug-induced psychosis - amphetamine, cocaine
- Sensory organ disease
- Seizures
DDx
Headache - acute/subacute
- Head injury
- Meningitis/encephalitis
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral venous thrombosis
- Carotid/vertebral artery dissection
- Acute angle closure glaucoma
- GCA
- Pit apoplexy
- Other: Increased BP, drugs (GTN, CCB), infections, hypoNa, hyperviscosity syndromes
DDx
Chronic/recurrent headaches
- Raised ICP: space occupying lesion - tumour/abscess, hydrocephalus, benign intracranial HTN
- Reduced ICP: post LP
- Migraine
- Migrainous neuralgia
- Tension headache, rebound headache
- Sinusitis
- Others: carvicogenic, hypnic headache, meningeal infiltration - malignancy/sarcoidosis; refractive errors, Paget’s, acromegaly, antiPL syndrome